Global Fleet Stations: Guatemala Ends, Belize Begins

The US Navy Global Fleet Station Pilot mission has arrived in Belize. Navy NewsStand recently posted a few pictures of the GFS training mission with Guatemalan sailors. To be honest I have had high hopes for the Global Fleet Station concept, but the news report from within Belize leaves me with several questions. HSV Swift represents the pilot mission, and while the core activity in Belize appears to be coast guard training, the news reports give the impression someone at the State Dept. was unable to come up with secondary missions prior to arrival.

Thomas Wise:Head of Public Affairs at the United States Embassy in Belmopan

“And as part of their mission here they are going to try look to do a community relations project where they come out and help a group from work.They already have money dedicated for it but they have a lot of bodies that say they are willing to pitch in and help with anybody who needs any help.So if anybody has any ideas feel free to contact us at the embassy if they need ten or twenty guys to come out and do something that would be charitable.”

Someone at the State Dept. dropped the ball here. Off the top of my head, there are any number of projects that come to mind that should have been offered up front. Water contamination tops the list, but sewage projects, flood prevention, waste disposal, drug trade symposiums, and HIV awareness programs make my short list. The Global Fleet Station is supposed to be a service oriented mission, the Navy needs the diplomats to be organized and ready so the Navy can hit the beach running, otherwise lost time becomes lost opportunity.

Wise says the ship is located about a mile off the coast of Belize City and Belizeans can get a sneak peak out by the Radisson or from Old Belize on the Western Highway. Belize is stop number five for the vessel. Other stops include Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Panama. Wise says another vessel is scheduled to arrive in the country shortly. That vessel will be equipped with medical supplies and personnel.

“The other vessel will be coming here on the twentieth and they will be here for a week.That is called “The Comfort”.That is a large medical ship that is going to be conducting surgeries on the ship itself which is free to Belizeans.There are also going to be bringing doctors to Belmopan where they are going to work with the hospitals and they’ll be taking walk in patients there and they are also going to be doing a dental program in Orange Walk for free dental care.”

It is a good bet the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is going to be busy upon arrival., assuming the State Dept. doesn't drop the ball there too. The USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) deploys for its mission on Friday.