Vice President Tours San Diego-Based USS Tulsa While Docked In Singapore

San Diego CA

24 August, 2021

1:37 PM

Description

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego August 23, 2021 Vice President Kamala Harris visited the San Diego-based littoral combat ship USS Tulsa at Changi Naval Base in Singapore on Monday. The visit came during Harris' trip to Singapore and Vietnam to strengthen relationships and expand economic cooperation with two critical partners of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region. After touring the ship, Harris conducted an all-hands call with the crew, who are on a rotational deployment with Destroyer Squadron 7. "The reason we are here is important: the Indo-Pacific is critical to the security and the prosperity of the United States," said Harris. "Our presence in the Indo-Pacific has a long, long history, including now, of helping to guarantee peace and security, freedom of trade and commerce, freedom of navigation…and open waterways, and the rules-based international order that has brought so much safety and prosperity to so many," she said. The ship's commanding officer, Cmdr. Brandon Cornes, said it was an honor and privilege to host the Vice President and expressed appreciation for her comments about the partnership between U.S. forces and their Southeast Asian counterparts. "Vice President Harris reaffirmed the strategic significance of our military presence to the region during this deployment," said Cornes. The visit coincided with the completion of the SECAT training exercise involving 21 partner nations in the region. Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.