USS Jason Dunham Arrives in Kiel, Germany

From U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

KIEL, Germany (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) arrived in Kiel, Germany, for a scheduled port visit, June 19.

Jason Dunham's visit to Kiel marks the conclusion of exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2015, a large-scale naval exercise between 17 regional partners and NATO allied nations, which ended June 18.

Quote:

"I am extremely excited to make this visit during Kiel Week. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the hard work and dedication of my crew and every other crew that participated in BALTOPS 2015, than to gather here together with our friends and allies, and take part in this rich cultural experience. Over the past 10 days, we trained together with our naval counterparts from other nations as a collective fighting force and now we will have the opportunity to celebrate together," said Cmdr. Darren Dugan, USS Jason Dunham commanding officer.

Quick Facts:

The visit is scheduled during the city's annual Kieler Woche celebration, the largest sailing event in the world.

Tours of the ship are to be open to the public June 20 and 21.

U.S. Sailors are scheduled to play a soccer match with service members of other allied and partner nations.

During BALTOPS 2015, Jason Dunham participated as a member of a task group comprised of Danish, U.K. and German navy ships. The ship participated in exchange visits with vessels from Denmark and Germany.

The port visit to Kiel demonstrates the shared commitment the U.S. has toward promoting safety and stability within the region, while seeking opportunities to enhance interoperability with its NATO allies and partners.

Jason Dunham is currently operating in the Baltic Sea, working with allies and regional partners to help develop and improve our maritime forces, maintain regional security, and work toward mutual goals in order to advance security and stability in Europe.

Jason Dunham, homeported in Norfolk, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. The ship deployed from Naval Station Norfolk, Jan. 27.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.