Previous to arriving in Klaipėda, Roosevelt patrolled the Baltic Sea, crusing alongside NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1 flagship FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (F218) and HNLMS De Zeven Provincien (F 802), underscoring the power and interoperability of the NATO Alliance.
Roosevelt joined the improved vigilance exercise Neptune Strike 2023-2 in mid-July, supporting the mixing of U.S. and NATO Allied and companion forces to supply assurance, deterrence, and collective protection working underneath management of NATO and Naval Placing and Assist Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO). As well as, Roosevelt additionally participated in a Naval Floor Fireplace Assist train in partnership with the Latvian army and carried out a scheduled port go to in Helsinki, Finland, July 15-18.
Whereas in Helsinki, the ship onloaded gas, mail, and shops, and Sailors had been in a position to expertise the wealthy tradition of Finland whereas on liberty within the native space. Roosevelt’s go to to Helsinki got here on the heels of President Biden’s go to to Finland to welcome the nation as the most recent member to the NATO Alliance.
The present port go to to Klaipėda additionally comes shortly after NATO’s Vilnius Summit, hosted by Lithuania. Roosevelt’s presence within the Baltic Sea and port visits to Baltic Sea Allies demonstrates display the U.S. Navy’s dedication to working with Allies and regional companions to make sure safety and stability within the area.
“Over the previous 9 months, Roosevelt has operated within the Baltic Sea on three separate occasions- we adore it up right here. The flexibility to function, practice, and talk with our NATO allies within the Baltic has been extraordinarily rewarding. We just lately carried out a gunnery train the place we shot our 5″ gun onto the Skede vary in Latvia utilizing NATO spotters on the seashore,” stated Cmdr. J Chewning, Roosevelt’s Commanding Officer. “As well as, we simply accomplished a port go to in Helsinki the place USS Roosevelt was honored to be the primary U.S. warship to go to Finland since becoming a member of NATO.”
Whereas in Klaipėda, Roosevelt will take part within the 63rd Annual Sea Pageant, a pageant selling Lithuania as a maritime state and Klaipėda as a pleasant and protected port metropolis. Roosevelt will welcome locals and members of the Lithuanian army onboard for excursions and a luncheon and take part in a neighborhood parade and different neighborhood occasions.
“We’re particularly excited to be again in Lithuania for Navy Day celebrations,” stated Chewning. “We pulled into Klaipėda in January, and it is an actual deal with for the crew to go to the port twice in a single yr.”
Roosevelt and her crew are working within the Baltic Sea on a scheduled deployment within the Baltic area, employed by the U.S, Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and companion pursuits.
Roosevelt, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, started its fifth Ahead Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrol June 27 within the U.S. Naval Forces Europe space of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and companion pursuits.
Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces within the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of accountability. U.S. Sixth Fleet is completely assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces by the total spectrum of joint and naval operations.
