Africa-Press – Angola. The US ship USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4), from the Lewis B. Puller class expeditionary maritime base, docked yesterday at the Commercial Port of Luanda, and the crew will take advantage of their stay to participate in service actions community service and exchange of experience with soldiers from the Angolan Navy (MGA).
During the stay at the Port of Luanda, the US ship will host a reception, on which the crew members will strengthen relations with senior executives and senior officers of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA). The crew will also participate in community actions alongside Angolan sailors.
“After a long period of time at sea, where we worked side by side with our Angolan partners in the maritime exercise Grand African NEMO, we have the opportunity to build the partnership with this visit to Luanda”, declared the commander of the USS Hershel ” Woody” Williams, Captain Michael Concannon, for whom the crew is eager to learn about Angolan cuisine, enjoy the scenery and national music.
The US ship last visited Luanda in September 2021, within the framework of the partnership between Angola and the United States, embodied in the promotion of peace and security in Africa. She is the first warship permanently assigned to the US Africa Command’s area of responsibility.
The United States of America works closely with Angola on maritime security and maritime domain awareness. In this area, the country participated, in March of this year, in the Obangame Express exercise, sponsored by the US African Command.
These exercises strengthen partnerships and allow countries to work more closely on shared transnational maritime challenges such as controlling territorial waters, combating trafficking and piracy.
The ESB class of ships is a “highly flexible” platform, used in a wide range of military operations, acting as a mobile maritime base. It forms part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces and supplies to support assigned missions.
The United States of America shares common interests with African partner nations to ensure safety, security and freedom of navigation in the continent’s waters, ensuring Africa’s prosperity and access to global markets.
For more than 80 years, US Naval Forces for Europe-US – US Naval Forces for Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.
Based in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates US naval forces in the areas of responsibility of the United States European Command (USEUCOM) and the US Africa Command (USAFRICOM).
The commander of the USS Hershel “Woods” Williams, Michael E. Concannon, when commenting on the ship’s stay in the Port of Luanda, said that the United States shares with Angola “a proud history of working together to promote maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. He added that the sailors will participate, in partnership with the Angolan military, in humanitarian activities.
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