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USS Mahan and GDFS Shahoud Conduct Maritime Exercise

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Rylin Paul | Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), left,...... read more read more

CARIBBEAN SEA

11.23.2025

Courtesy Story

Carrier Strike Group 12

USS Mahan and GDFS Shahoud Conduct Maritime Exercise

CARIBBEAN SEA (Nov. 23, 2025) U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72) conducted maritime interoperability exercises with the Guyana Defence Force Defiant-class patrol vessel GDFS Shahoud (1039), Nov 22.

Mahan and Shahoud operated together off the eastern coast of Guyana, exchanging best practices for communication, cooperation, and maneuvering. Guyanese Sailors also embarked Mahan for the day to increase interoperability between crews.

“A cooperative maritime presence with our Allies and partners, including Guyana, is not optional, it is essential,” said Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet. “Our regional security, and that of the United States, depends on our unwavering commitment to cooperation and demonstrable strength at sea.”

Deployed as part of Operation Southern Spear and currently assigned to Destroyer Squadron 40, Mahan’s operations protect our Homeland and regional partners, like Guyana, and uphold law and order across the Western Hemisphere.

Mahan, a part of Destroyer Squadron Two and the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, entered the Caribbean Sea through the Anegada passage, Nov. 16, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the President’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the Homeland.

Operation Southern Spear is a Department of War mission to enhance security and stability across the Western Hemisphere by detecting disrupting and degrading transnational criminal and illicit maritime networks. This operation enhances maritime domain awareness, supports regional stability, and helps prevent illicit activity from reaching the U.S. Homeland. These efforts reflect the Department’s commitment to maintaining a safe, stable, and secure hemisphere.