Source: United States Navy
The exchanges centered around reinforcing the long-standing friendship between both nations and increasing strength of the U.S.-Vietnam bilateral relationship.
Service members from both nations discussed search and rescue (SAR) operations, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF), code for unplanned encounters at sea, explosive ordnance disposal, and Women, Peace, Security (WPS). The exchanges were held to improve future operations, interactions, and coordination between partner navies.
The exchange opened on SAR operations headed by U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) representatives, discussing how the USCG conducts searches both around the U.S. and around the world.
The training topics centered around tactics, best practices, and ways to improve rescue efforts.
“Sharing best practices and operational capabilities between the USCG and Vietnam maritime authorities can improve search and rescue coordination and capacity with our INDOPACOM partners, especially Vietnam,” said Douglas Samp, USCG Pacific Area SAR Program Manager.
The event offered relevant ideas and thoughtful processes, while service members from both countries exchanged theoretical and practical knowledge within their respective SAR functions.
The second day of the SMEE exchanges focused on IUUF, how it is one of the challenges to ocean health and a significant cause of overfishing. Vietnamese Coast Guardsmen shared their challenges and how IUUF contributes to a collapse or decline in fisheries that are critical to the economic growth, food systems, and ecosystems within their exclusive economic zone.
During the IUUF SMEE, Maritime Enforcement Specialist 1st Class Arik Pulsifer, assigned to Waesche, shared his experiences, challenges, and successes while serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as how beneficial the engagements were.
“Growing up in an ocean community, I take marine conservation very seriously, so this topic was of direct interest to me. The exchanges went well. It was good to see how seriously they also take the issue of IUUF and how determined they seem to remedy it,” said Pulsifer. “The discussions were very beneficial because we got to elaborate on our processes from boarding to case package and lay out a basic framework for how they can best conduct enforcement and follow up in court. It was awesome to take part in something that strengthens the bond between two nations and give direct, experience-based input on enforcement of domestic and foreign fishing fleets.”
The last event, the WPS in the Maritime Defense SMEE, highlighted shared perspectives and expanding the meaningful participation of women within the armed forces. Individual participants conversed in topics such as gender perspectives as well as cultural differences between countries and what current challenges exist.
Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt, deputy commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, participated in the WPS exchange and expressed the importance of engaging in open dialogue.
“On the heels of your newly passed National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, it is exciting to incorporate the topic into our port visit activities during our time in Cam Ranh,” said Bauernschmidt. “The first step to moving the plan forward are critical conversations centering on concrete actions to achieve the objectives you have outlined, and that’s what we did this week. Thank you to our Vietnamese counterparts who joined us to move forward on this important topic that affects all of us.”
Concluding all SMEE’s, service members from both countries expressed open dialogue on continuing to share ideas, information, and knowledge, expressing interest in future exchanges.
The exchanges were one of many events between the U.S. 7th Fleet, USS Blue Ridge and Vietnamese Armed Forces personnel during the ship’s port visit to Cam Ranh, the third stop of the U.S. 7th Fleet’s ongoing patrol.
U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific.