Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jan David Mercado | 221025-N-EJ241-1077 DIEGO GARCIA, British Indian Ocean Territory (Oct. 25, 2022)...... read more read more
DIEGO GARCIA, British Indian Ocean Territory (Dec. 5, 2022) – USS West Virginia (SSBN-736) conducted a scheduled port visit at U.S. Navy Support Facility (NSF) Diego Garcia, Oct. 25-31, 2022.
The visit, part of West Virginia’s sustained deterrence operations in the United States Central Command and Indo-Pacific Command areas of responsibility, emphasizes the unmatched capabilities of a ballistic missile submarine to deter and, if necessary, respond from anywhere on the globe.
“NSF Diego Garcia capitalized on an opportunity to showcase its capability and capacity in supporting West Virginia’s port visit and crew swap,” said Capt. John F. Wilson, commanding officer of NSF Diego Garcia. “Every person on the island contributed to the evolutions, providing both Blue and Gold crews a chance to rest and recover both before and after their lengthy at sea periods.”
Wilson also said that each installation member gained a renewed sense of purpose and pride knowing that their support helped such a strategic asset of the U.S. Navy.
“NSF Security, Harbor Patrol Units, and Military Working Dogs all worked collectively with the United States Marine Corps Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Pacific (FASTPAC) to provide a critical defense-in-depth security posture for the West Virginia,” said Ens. Nicholas D. Sjogren, security officer of NSF Diego Garcia. “The opportunity to work closely with Port Operations, Public Works Department, and members of Pacific Fleet has definitely reinforced our Sailors’ sense of purpose, resulting in the successful completion of the mission.”
The security and safety of everyone involved was enforced through a joint effort between Security Forces assigned to NSF Diego Garcia, Marines assigned to FASTPAC, and U.S. Navy Divers assigned to the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39), illustrating the strength of support through interoperability.
“West Virginia’s visit is just one of many reasons we are here, serving in the middle of the Indian Ocean, which is to provide U.S., and our allies, a location to refit and resupply, giving our total force much needed flexibility for maintaining security in the region,” said Wilson. “Ultimately, we lived up to our moto: “One Island – One Team – One Mission.”
West Virginia is one of six ballistic-missile submarines stationed at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, and can carry up to 20 submarine–launched ballistic missiles with multiple warheads.
NSF Diego Garcia's mission is to provide critical support to U.S. and allied forces forward deployed to the Indian Ocean, while supporting multi-theater forces operating in the CENTCOM, AFRICOM, EUCOM, and PACOM areas of responsibilities in support of overseas contingency operations.
For more news from U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia, check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nsfdg
| Date Taken: | 12.05.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.05.2022 06:47 |
| Story ID: | 434478 |
| Location: | DIEGO GARCIA, IO |
| Web Views: | 384 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USS West Virginia Conducts Port Visit at NSF Diego Garcia, by PO2 Jan David Mercado, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT