SPS 2011 Concludes in Nicaragua

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeffery Tilghman Williams, High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) Public Affairs

CORINTO, Nicaragua (NNS) -- U.S. Sailors and Marines supporting Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2011, joined Nicaraguan sailors at a closing ceremony and celebration at the local school where they completed a five-day construction subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) in Corinto, Nicaragua, March 31.

Sailors assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 28 and Marines assigned to 2nd Marine Logistics Group (MLG) were honored during a farewell ceremony and certificate presentation at Instituto Parroquial Pbro. Emilio S. Chavarria, to recognize and thank them for constructing a classroom and library at the school.

The event marked the conclusion of a 10-day visit to Corinto that included medical, security and construction SMEEs with Nicaraguan military counterparts.

Indiouis Reyes, school director, presented Cmdr. Mark Becker, SPS 2011 mission commander, and Lt. Rama Mutyala, NMCB 28 detail bravo officer-in-charge, with certificates of appreciation for the construction work completed by Sailors and Marines from NMCB 28 and 2nd MLG, as well as the Nicaraguan navy.

"We can't express how thankful and grateful we are to these men who have taken the time to provide us with the tools we need to teach these kids," said Reyes.

The SPS 2011 construction team partnered with their Nicaraguan counterparts to build two 16-by-32-foot wood frame Southeast Asia (SEA) huts as part of an information exchange designed to build and strengthen ties with the Nicaraguan government.

"We could not have completed this task in such a short period of time without the exceptional assistance of the Nicaraguan sailors who helped us build these two structures," said Mutyala. "The cross training which took place between the two services was a testament to professionalism and partnership."

"Throughout our visit to Nicaragua, the local people have been so receptive and helpful, and we thank them for hosting this event for us," said Becker. "We're committed to continuing to develop enduring relationships with the people of Nicaragua and the Nicaraguan government."

This project is just one of the projects the Seabees and Marines have completed in six South and Central America countries since SPS 2011 began in November 2010. They have also conducted SMEEs with foreign militaries in Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru.

SPS 11 is an annual deployment of U.S. ships to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in the Caribbean and Latin America. The mission's primary goal is information-sharing with navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout the region.

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO) is the naval component command for U.S. Southern Command and is responsible for all naval personnel and assets in the area of responsibility.

COMUSNAVSO conducts a variety of missions in support of the U.S. Maritime Strategy, including theater security cooperation, relationship building, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, community relations, and counter-illicit trafficking operations.