Further easing of US-African relations

It was not until the end of February that the American littoral combat ship USS Carson City in Port Sudan. It was the first visit by a US warship since the establishment of US Africa Command in 2007. In recent years, relations between the African country and the United States have been tense and military co-operation has been avoided. It was only last December that the US government removed Sudan from its list of terror supporters. Due to its support for Al-Qaeda, the African country had been on the list for almost thirty years. But now, just a few days after the Carson Citythe next US ship paid a harbour visit to the country on the Red Sea: the guided missile destroyer Winston S. Churchill moored at the pier there on 1 March. This and a number of other diplomatic symbols are intended to strengthen cooperation with the civilian transitional government of Sudan. The visit will also provide an opportunity for Sudanese and American military representatives to hold their first joint staff talks. Sudanese officers will visit the Churchill and attend a reception on the destroyer.

The USS Carson City visited Port Sudan in February

The Winston S. Churchill left its home port of Norfolk, VA, on 10 August last year for a long-planned voyage. The deployment centres on securing critical waterways. On 21 February, the Churchill The crew had already travelled 50,000 nautical miles. Two weeks earlier, the crew had already scored a success. During the inspection of two stateless Daus off the Somali coast, illegal weapons and weapon parts were found and confiscated.
With the Winston S. Churchill is a destroyer of the Arleigh-Burke-class, which was put into service in 2001. It displaces 9200 tonnes and is 156 metres long. There are 32 officers and around 350 non-commissioned officers and crew on board. The armament of the Flight IIA ships includes the Mk 41 vertical take-off system with 96 cells. There is also a hangar for two helicopters.

Confiscated weapons

Text: mb; Photos: US Navy