Secretary of the Army visits JIATF-South

Photo By Master Sgt. Lakisha Croley | John M. McHugh, secretary of the Army, shakes the hand of Staff. Sgt. Ana Cater, training noncommissioned officer, during a visit to Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF)-South, Key West, Fla., Feb. 10, 2015. Army forces support current and planned inter-agency collaborative efforts and operations in the JIATF-SOUTH. (U.S. Southern Command photo by Tech. Sgt. Lakisha A Croley)  

KEY WEST, FL, UNITED STATES

02.11.2015

Courtesy Story

U.S. Southern Command

KEY WEST, Fla. - Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh paid a visit to the men and women of the Joint Interagency Task Force-South here Tuesday, Feb. 10, as part of a trip that included a stop at the U.S. detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

McHugh spoke with JIATF-South Soldiers about their role in current and planned interagency collaborative efforts and operations in the JIATF-South/Southern Command area of operations.

He emphasized the importance of the JIATF-South mission and the Soldiers and Army civilians who help conduct and support them.

“You all are the proverbial tip of the spear for this region,” McHugh said, expressing appreciation for their “unrelenting labors in the detection, monitoring and dismantling of illicit traffic in the area of operations.”

He underscored the importance of JITAF-South’s overall mission and its continued endeavors with international partners.

“The presence of bad actors appears to be growing in complexity, and I want to thank you for your continued efforts,” McHugh said.

During the visit, McHugh toured the Joint Operating Center and was briefed on the Tactics and Planning Systems, the Joint Interagency Intelligence Operating Center and the Key West Advanced Visualization Environment. U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Steve Mehling, the JIATF South commander, joined him during the visit.

After enjoying an informal luncheon with JITAF-South Soldiers, McHugh toured a static display of a self-propelled submersible nicknamed “Bigfoot,” which was seized carrying 9.2 metric tons of illicit cargo by the U.S Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC-623) in November 2006, off the coast of Costa Rica.

The semi-submersible received the moniker “Bigfoot,” because it was the first of these types of vessels, heretofore unheard of, to be captured, thereby proving that semi-submersibles exist.

JIATF South conducts interagency and international detection and monitoring operations, and facilitates the interdiction of illicit trafficking and other narco-terrorist threats in support of national and partner nation security.

• Date Taken: 02.11.2015
• Date Posted: 02.11.2015 16:16
• Story ID: 154231
• Location: KEY WEST, FL, US