US warship in PH for 3-day port visit
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2019 09:17:50 +0000
THE USS Montgomery, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, prepares to dock at Sasa Port in Davao City. One of the most technologically advanced ships of the US Navy, USS Montgomery is in country for a three-day visit. (Keith Bacongco)
DAVAO CITY – The 70-crew member USS Montgomery, an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the US Navy, arrived at the Sasa Wharf here last Saturday for a three-day goodwill visit and to demonstrate the US government’s commitment to maritime security.
Commander Edward A. Rosso, USS Montgomery commanding officer, said in an interview after a quick tour inside the ship that it was its first port visit to the Philippines, one of the longest-standing US allies in the Indo-Pacific region, in its maiden deployment.
Rosso said the ship’s goodwill visit hopes to strengthen the comprehensive US-Philippines relations and learn from the experience of both navies to improve interoperability and exchange culture.
“We’re here to strengthen our partnership and our alliance with the Philippines. We can exchange cultural ideas and interoperability. It’s very important that our military work together, learn how to operate together,” he said.
Rosso said port visits “allow us to demonstrate our commitment to maritime security in the region, while strengthening relationships with our friends, partners, and allies.”
He said the visit of USS Montgomery here has nothing to do with the renewed tensions in the West Philippine Sea after Filipino fishing boat Gem-Ver 1 was rammed by a Chinese vessel at the Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea last month. Twenty-two fishermen on board Gem-Ver 1 were reportedly abandoned at sea.
Rosso maintained the intention of the ship’s visit was to further the partnership and alliance between US and Philippines.
“It has nothing to do with the Chinese. The US and Philippines have been in a partnership for over 70 years. Think about the Philippines and Americans. Over four million Filipino-Americans are in the US. Any time, it’s 350,000 US citizens travelling in this country,” he said.
Fast, agile, and a mission-focused platform, a littoral combat ship is “designed to operate in near-shore environments and employ modular mission packages that can be configured for surface warfare, mine countermeasures, or anti-submarine warfare.”
A littoral combat ship “provides presence and access to places where larger ships simply cannot go” with its high speed and shallow draft. (Antonio L. Colina IV and Martin Sadongdong)