Mount Whitney Host Swedish Officials

Courtesy Photo | Swedish Ambassador Veronika Wand-Danielsson is piped ashore after her visit aboard the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney during the Baltic Operations exercise 2010. Sweden is one of the twelve nations that are participating in the 38th iteration of BALTOPS. The exercise is intended to improve interoperability with partner nations by conducting realistic training both on land and at sea.  

ABOARD USS MOUNT WHITNEY, AT SEA

06.09.2010

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet

USS MOUNT WHITNEY, At sea –Swedish Ambassador Veronika Wand-Danielsson, head of the Swedish mission to NATO, and Annika Engblom, a member of Swedish Parliament representing the Karlskrona area, visited USS Mount Whitney on June 9, in support of Baltic Operations exercise 2010.

During the visit they received an detailed brief on BALTOPS 2010 exercise and toured the ship's engineering spaces, network operation center, helicopter control tower and the bridge; where they were able to view flight operations.

"I was able to come out to the ship last year for BALTOPS and it has been interesting to see first hand how the exercise has grown from last year," said Engblom. "Visiting the network operation center really puts in perspective how complex the functions of the exercise are and how partnerships between the participating nations have evolved."

After the tour Wand-Danielsson and Engblom were received by, U.K. Royal navy Rear Adm. Ian Corder, deputy commander, Combined Joint Task Force BALTOPS, and U. S. Navy Rear Adm. Michelle Howard, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2 for lunch.

"We are very privileged to be a part of this exercise, and coming aboard the ship today really helped me understand the broadness of the Baltic exercise and how all the nations work together so well," said Wand-Danielsson. "You can read about the exercise but that doesn't always present it accurately, so being here today and being able to ask questions has been a great opportunity."

BALTOPS is comprised of forces from 12 countries and is the largest multinational naval exercise this year in the Baltic Sea. The exercise aims to improve maritime security in the Baltic Sea through increased interoperability and cooperation among regional allies.

• Date Taken: 06.09.2010
• Date Posted: 06.10.2010 05:41
• Story ID: 51157
• Location: ABOARD USS MOUNT WHITNEY, AT SEA