News | Sunday, 12 July 2009

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Army and US coast guard sign MOU

The Armed Forces of Malta and the US coast guard yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean.
US Coast Guard Vice Admiral Robert Papp, Commander Atlantic Area, and Brigadier Carmel Vassallo, Commander Armed Forces of Malta, signed the MOU at the AFM Maritime Squadron Headquarters at Hay Wharf, Floriana.
Discussions between the United States Coast Guard and the AFM began in 2008, during a visit by the USCG Headquarters Office of SAR for an assessment of the AFM’s world-renowned SAR Training Centre for new equipment and software.
The assessment went so well that plans for a SAR MOU began immediately thereafter.
The MOU “recognizes the benefits enjoyed from previous close cooperation with regard to search and rescue (SAR) operations and training, and further recognizes that additional benefits may be enjoyed from the cooperative arrangements detailed” in it.
The U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Mr. Jason Davis, attended the signing, and praised the AFM’s leadership in SAR. He noted that in addition to the SAR MOU, Malta’s Rescue Coordination and Training Centers recently received over $160,000 (€115,000) in new equipment and Coast Guard training, funded by the United States European Command. The funding was used to modernize the AFM’s SAR capabilities with U.S. Coast Guard developed software called SAROPS.
“It is noteworthy that Malta is the first country outside of the United States to install SAROPS, and will soon use it as part of their normal maritime operations. This is testament to the long-standing recognition by the United States of Malta’s expertise and commitment to excellence in the humanitarian field.”
Mr Davis also noted the importance of the SAR MOU as a document that “highlights the mutual benefit that our respective countries enjoy in matters concerning the safety of mariners at sea.”

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