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Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG-67) moors off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, April 15, 2025 during Exercise Southern Lightning. For the exercise, Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic tested several pieces of equipment as part of their routine scientific mission to enhance the interoperability and performance of various naval communications system configurations and capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Emily Farnsworth) [Stock Photo]

June 12, 2025

USS Cole Assists Royal Canadian Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Conduct At-Sea Transfer of Intercepted Contraband

CARIBBEAN SEA — The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67), supporting maritime southern border operations, conducted a hold-and-transfer of 245 kilograms of contraband recovered by the Royal Canadian Navy Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessel HMCS William Hall (AOPV 433) in the Caribbean Sea June 9. The Reliance-class U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Vigorous (WMEC 627) accepted the contraband from the Cole’s embarked USCG Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) June 11 during a rendezvous at sea in the Caribbean.

250610-N-DF135-1044 ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA (June 10, 2025) Honorable Philip Telesford, Minister of Health of Grenada, speaks at the Continuing Promise 2025 opening ceremony in St. George’s, Grenada, June 10, 2025. Continuing Promise 2025 is the 16th iteration of the U.S. 4th Fleet/U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command-led Mission since 2007, which aims to foster goodwill, strengthen existing partnerships with partner nations, and form new partnerships between host nations, non-federal entities, and international organizations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Deven Fernandez)

June 11, 2025

USNS Comfort Arrives in Grenada for Continuing Promise 2025

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada — The Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) arrived in St.George’s, Grenada, to provide a variety of medical treatments to include: dental, family medicine, internal medicine, optometry, nursing, pharmacy, biomedical repair, lab, radiology, X-ray and veterinary medicine as a part of Continuing Promise 2025 (CP25), June 9.

Navy Ship

June 6, 2025

USS Cole Relieves USS Gravely, Assumes Southern Border Mission

MAYPORT, Fla. — The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) departed Naval Station Mayport, Florida, to support U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) southern border operations, June 5. The Cole, homeported in Norfolk, Va., will deploy under U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet. The deployment aims to enhance maritime security and support interagency collaboration in the region through presence operations and the support of an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET).

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet Commander Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello welcomes distinguished visitors and industry partners during the opening of the Hybrid Fleet Campaign (HFC) Fleet Experiment (FLEX) showcase event at Cooperative Security Location (CSL) Comalapa near San Salvador, El Salvador, May 27, 2025. HFC is a learning campaign to retain and improve advantages using next-generation manned and unmanned systems, tested and integrated during and after FLEX. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet is the maritime component of U.S. Southern Command and the trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central and South America maritime forces leading to improved unity, security and stability.

May 29, 2025

Hybrid Fleet Campaign Event - USNAVSOUTH and Salvadoran Navy integrate Robotic and Autonomous Systems during FLEX 2025

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (May 27, 2025) — Cooperative Security Location (CSL) Comalapa, in coordination with the Salvadoran Navy, hosted the annual U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet Hybrid Fleet Campaign (HFC) Fleet Experimentation (FLEX) Event demonstrating combined/joint integration potential for unmanned systems during a showcase event in San Salvador, El Salvador, May 27.

From left, retired Rear Adm. Jim Aiken, Mr. Bob Kapcio, Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet, and retired Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson celebrate Kapcio’s more than 40 years of naval service during a retirement luncheon in his honor. Kapcio completed his 33 years of military service serving as 4th Fleet’s first Maritime Operations Center (MOC) Director in 2011, prior to serving for 14 years in a civilian role, most recently as the Commander’s Action Group (CAG) Director. Retired Rear Adms. Gabrielson (2019-2021) and Aiken (2021-2024) served as 4th Fleet commanders prior to Rear Adm. Sardiello. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet is the maritime component of U.S. Southern Command and the trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central and South America maritime forces leading to improved unity, security, and stability.

May 16, 2025

End of an Era U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet CAG Retires After 47 Years of Service

MAYPORT, Florida — NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Florida – (Apr. 25, 2025) – Current and former flag officers, staffers and friends gathered at the Naval Station Mayport Chief Petty Officer’s Club Apr. 25, 2025, to honor the career and legacy of Mr. Bob Kapcio, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/ U.S. 4th Fleet’s Commander’s Action Group Director, who has retired after 47 years of service to the United States.

The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) sit at anchor during Continuing Promise 2015. Continuing Promise is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet-conducted deployment to conduct civil-military operations including humanitarian-civil assistance, subject matter expert exchanges, medical, dental, veterinary and engineering support and disaster response to partner nations and to show U.S. support and commitment to Central and South America and the Caribbean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary Johnson/Released)

May 13, 2025

Continuing Promise 2025 Set to Begin

MAYPORT, Florida — The U.S. Navy Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) will deploy this June-August to the U.S. Southern Command area of operations as part of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet’s Continuing Promise 2025 mission. After several months of detailed planning, USNS Comfort is scheduled to visit Grenada, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic during the nearly three month-long mission.

The littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) interdicted a suspected drug smuggling vessel May 1 while supporting Joint Interagency Task Force South. This is the ship's third successful interdiction during its maiden deployment. In mid-April, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul interdicted two vessels, confiscating 580 kilograms (1,279 pounds) of cocaine valued at $9,463,860 and 1,125 kilograms (2,480 pounds) of marijuana valued at $2,807,360. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul is assigned to Commander, Task Force 45, the 4th Fleet surface task force responsible for combined naval operations, building partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean, and supporting Joint Interagency Task Force South's counter-drug trafficking operations. LEDETs are deployable specialized Coast Guard forces that enforce U.S. laws and treaties at sea. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command by employing maritime forces in cooperative security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build partnerships to promote regional security and stability in the Caribbean and Central and South America.

May 12, 2025

USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul Scores Another Bust

CARIBBEAN SEA — The littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) interdicted a suspected drug smuggling vessel May 1 while supporting Joint Interagency Task Force South. This is the ship's third successful interdiction during its maiden deployment. In mid-April, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul interdicted two vessels, confiscating 580 kilograms (1,279 pounds) of cocaine valued at $9,463,860 and 1,125 kilograms (2,480 pounds) of marijuana valued at $2,807,360.

221021-N-MY642-1179 ATLANTIC OCEAN (October 21, 2022) The hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) steams through the ocean as part of the transit south from Nofolk, Va. Comfort is deployed to U.S. 4th Fleet in support of Continuing Promise 2022, a humanitarian assistance and goodwill mission conducting direct medical care, expeditionary veterinary care, and subject matter expert exchanges with five partner nations in the Caribbean, Central and South America. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Donald R. White Jr.)

April 28, 2025

Continuing Promise 2025 Completes Planning USNS Comfort to Deploy to SOUTHCOM Region

NORFOLK, Virginia — Military and civilian planners from the United States and six partner nations met this week in Norfolk, Va., to make final plans for the upcoming Continuing Promise 2025 deployment. U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) will deploy in support of Continuing Promise 2025, with the ship scheduled to conduct mission stops in Grenada, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic. U.S. Navy Capt. Ryan Kendall, Deputy Commander, Destroyer Squadron 40 (COMDESRON 40) will serve as mission commander for Continuing Promise 2025.

The Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) departs Naval Station Mayport for her maiden deployment, Mar. 26, 2025. LCS 21 is deploying to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations is support of counter-illicit drug trafficking operations.

April 17, 2025

USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul Makes Multiple Drug Busts

CARIBBEAN SEA — The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis Saint-Paul (LCS 21), in coordination with joint partners, stopped two alleged drug smuggling operations in the Caribbean Sea within a 72-hour span.

Led by Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet, more than 100 Sailors, Marines, and civilians gathered onboard Naval Station Mayport in support of the UNITAS 2025 Mid-Planning Conference. This year’s UNITAS, scheduled for September, is the longest-running, multinational maritime exercise in the world. UNITAS 2025 will combine the efforts of Allies and Partners from across the globe and serve as the warfighting introduction to Navy 250 – the U.S. Navy’s year-long birthday celebration. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Southern Command and the trusted maritime partner for Command/U.S. 4th Fleet is the maritime component of U.S. Caribbean, Central and South America maritime forces leading to improved unity, security, and stability.

April 11, 2025

UNITAS 2025 Mid Planning Conference Concludes

Mayport, Fla. — JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet completed the UNITAS 2025 mid planning conference on board Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Apr. 7-11. Held virtually and in-person, the conference brought together commands from the U.S. and partner nations to plan for UNITAS 2025, the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise.

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