The “USNS Choctaw County” arrived in Beirut Port as part of US Fleet drills, and was called “the first of its sort in the Fifth Fleet.”

The USNS Choctaw County, an express cargo vessel, arrived in Lebanon on September 20 for a previously arranged visit, according to a statement released by the US Embassy in Beirut.

“This historic visit by a US Navy ship to a Lebanese naval station shows the strong cooperation between the United States and the Lebanese Army,” the statement said, adding that “this visit, at US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), is part of the purpose of this mission.” The exchange of specialized experts between the Lebanese Navy and the US Naval Forces Central Command staff working on disaster response, public health, mine action, and diving medicine, as well as construction capabilities, is part of a command that aims to build the capacity of the Lebanese Navy to maintain regional security and stability and enhance disaster response abilities.

“The US Navy now has a fresh chance to collaborate with our Lebanese colleagues… We are launching in a new age of improving and extending regional capacity building, “Commander of the US Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, Admiral Brad Cooper, stated.