NATO Partnerships in Action: Allied Officers Serve Aboard Ford

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jackson Adkins | The first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) steams in formation with Spanish Armada frigate Álvaro de Bazán (F 101), German frigate FGS Hessen (F 221) and Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) in the Atlantic Ocean, Oct. 20, 2022. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is deployed in the Atlantic Ocean, conducting training and operations alongside NATO Allies and partners to enhance integration for future operations and demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s commitment to a peaceful, stable and conflict-free Atlantic region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins)  

UNITED STATES

10.19.2022

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob Mattingly 

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)           

Two officers belonging to NATO nations, Germany and Spain are walking the deck plates of the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) to enhance integration with allies and partners during Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s (GRFCSG) deployment.
“I am the German coordination officer for the German ship Hessen that is operating alongside the Gerald R. Ford Strike Group during the deployment,” said Lt. Cmdr. Marcell Küppers, from Siegen, Germany. “I am responsible for establishing a close connection between Ford and the German ship that is operating with the strike group.”
Küppers and his Spanish counterpart Lt. Luis Morales, from Malaga, Spain, are onboard Ford to act as liaisons for their respective countries’ ships, the FGS Hessen (F221) and the Álvaro de Bazán (F101).
“My responsibility here is to coordinate operations with the strike group and the Álvaro de Bazán,” explained Morales. “It is very important to construct a robust system of operations between all NATO forces. There may come a time in the future where we must work together. This is a really good chance to have stable interoperability within our strike groups.”
Both officers are responsible for coordinating operations with the GRFCSG, Hessen and Álvaro de Bazán as the ships conduct joint operations in the Atlantic Ocean this fall.
“NATO partnership to me means that we get closer between the allies that we work with and get a better understanding,” Küppers said. “It is a factor that we can gain here and practice while doing exercises with the United States to get a better overview of everything.”

Küppers has historically operated with American forces, working with the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Mediterranean Sea alongside a helicopter squadron to assist in training exercises in 2018.
“We were first assisting in operational preparations and then we went to conduct joint operations in the Mediterranean Sea,” Küppers described. “I was sent to the Ford because I am experienced with American procedures and the way they operate.”
The joint operations give both the GRFCSG and NATO forces an opportunity to integrate and gain experience working as one unified force.
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCG) is deployed in the Atlantic Ocean, conducting training and operations alongside NATO Allies and partners to enhance integration for future operations and demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s commitment to a peaceful, stable and conflict-free Atlantic region.
For more information about the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), visit https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/cvn78/, and follow along on Facebook @USSGeraldRFord, Instagram @cvn78_grford, Twitter @Warship_78, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/uss-gerald-r-ford-cvn-78/ and DVIDS www.dvids.net/CVN78.

• Date Taken: 10.19.2022
• Date Posted: 10.19.2022 11:52
• Story ID: 431624
• Location: US