U.S. Naval Ship Arrives in Lebanon

The USNS Choctaw County, an expeditionary fast transport ship affiliated with the U.S. Navy, has arrived in Lebanon for a scheduled visit, the U.S. Embassy said on Wednesday.

"This historic trip, the first visit by a U.S. Naval Ship to a Lebanese naval base, highlights the strong partnership between the United States and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)," the Embassy said in a statement.

Led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), the visit is part of a NAVCENT mission that aims to build the LAF Navy's capacity to "maintain regional security and stability, enhance disaster response capabilities, and that includes subject matter expert exchanges between the LAF Navy and NAVCENT personnel covering disaster response, public health, mine countermeasures, dive medicine, and construction capabilities," the statement added.

In addition, the visit will feature a partnership building conference with

international participants to discuss ways to "advance the LAF Navy’s capacity and interoperability with foreign navies," the statement said.