US Southern Command to host Littoral Combat Ship
The US Navy plans to send a Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to US Southern Command’s region in October to bolster efforts to stem illegal drug smuggling, according to command officials.
‘The ship will conduct detection and monitoring activities while an embarked US Coast Guard law enforcement detachment will conduct interdiction and apprehension activities,’ SOUTHCOM spokesman Jose Ruiz said on 10 July.
The mission will be the first time an LCS deploys solely to support SOUTHCOM, but not the first time an LCS operates in the region, Ruiz said. While passing through the area in 2010 on its way
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