SPS-EPF 17 is a U.S. Navy deployment focused on subject matter expert exchanges and building partner capacity with partner nation militaries and security forces in Central and South America.
U.S. and Guatemalan military personnel marked the conclusion of partner nation engagements in Guatemala and the end of Southern Partnership Station 17 (SPS 17), in a closing ceremony held at Commando Naval del Caribe, a Guatemalan naval base, Oct. 20.
For one U.S. Navy lieutenant, Southern Partnership Station 17 (SPS 17) is more than just a chance to exchange information. It is a way of connecting with her heritage, and a way to change the lives of people like her.
Lt. Juliana Gutierrez, a woman’s health nurse assigned to Naval Hospital Pensacola in Florida, is one of three translators, out of 85 total service members deployed to Central America, as part of SPS 17.
Sailors assigned to the Naval Entomology Center of Excellence (NECE) practiced killer bee and mosquito control and prevention during a visit to the Centro De Atención Mis Años Dorados, a local nursing home, Sept. 18, during Southern Partnership Station 2017 (SPS 17).
