SOUTHCOM plans to keep Wasp busy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As USS Wasp (LHD-1) rounds the horn from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, Adm. Craig Faller, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, plans to use the multi-purpose amphibious assault warship for as much training as possible. Faller continually looks to turn transits of U.S. ships through his area of responsibility into training opportunities for the Navy and partner nations. SOUTHCOM plans to use the big-deck "amphib" for as much training as possible. “We have a plan, a robust schedule of exercises with partner nations,” Faller said during a media roundtable Oct. 4 at George Washington University. With Wasp heading to a new homeport in Norfolk, Va., from Japan, Faller wants to squeeze as much out of the transit through SOUTHCOM. Wasp and other big deck amphibs are frequently used to provide humanitarian assistance in the Caribbean and South and Central America. Two years ago, Wasp provided critical resources to the Virgin Islands in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Helicopters from Wasp provided medical evacuations for residents on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. SOUTHCOM also coordinates U.S. and partner nation efforts to stop the flow of drugs and human trafficking to the U.S. Faller has talked about using Littoral Combat Ships on counter-narcotics missions in the region. Faller’s vision is for LCS to deploy in packs to counter narcotics trafficking from Venezuela. (Source: USNI News 10/04/19) Gulf Coast Note: All Wasp-class ships were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. The first ship of the class, USS Wasp, was commissioned on July 29, 1989. https://news.usni.org/2019/10/04/southcom-will-keep-amphib-uss-wasp-busy-during-transit