USNS Spearhead Arrives in Honduras

By Capt. Gary Loten-Beckford, Southern Partnership Station 2015 Public Affairs

PUERTO CASTILLAS, Honduras (NNS) -- USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1), operated by the Military Sealift Command, arrived in Honduras, for its first mission stop during Southern Partnership Station-Joint High Speed Vessel 2015 (SPS-JHSV 15), July 11.

Cmdr. Robert Toth, commanding officer, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 6, and the commander of the Adaptive Force Package ashore for SPS-JHSV 2015, said that he looks forward to the opportunities presented by the exercise.

"I have not operated in the U.S. Southern Command's area of responsibility before, but am excited for the opportunity to do so," said Toth. "After a career spent operating in Asia and the Middle East I expect to learn a great deal about the culture from the people of the countries we will engage with, as well as face some challenges that are unique to the area of operations, such as the climate and jungle environment."

Spearhead's deployment to the region exemplifies the U.S. commitment to cooperative partnerships in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

The ship's arrival to Honduras not only serves as a means to assist the local community, but also continues to strengthen ties with countries in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility.

For 1st Lt. James P. Magee, platoon commander, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, out of Camp Lejune, North Carolina, this is his second deployment in support of Southern Partnership Station.

"The measure of success for our mission is facilitating partnership capacity between the host nation governments and that of the United States via both Marines Corps Forces, South, and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command's intent," said Magee.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet support U.S. Southern Command's joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.