by Jolene Toves

Guam - The U.S.S. Freedom pulled into Apra Harbor this morning for a port call. The littoral combat ship's speed, easy maneuverability and flexibility makes her capable of accomplishing tasks that larger ships can't.

Commander Timothy Wilke told KUAM News, "First off, we operate close into land currently into spots that the U.S. Navy really hasn't been able to operate in - that being shallow waters which is close to land." Wilke says the deployment to the Asia-Pacific Region is not in direct response to tensions on the Korean peninsula. The eight-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific Region is the first of many planned rotational deployments for the Freedom to the Western Pacific.

"We've been training getting ready for this deployment," the commander added. "We are always ready to carry out any task that is assigned to us, but we are flexible in any type of operation that may be assigned to us. Like any ships in the U.S. Navy, we are trained in a multitude of different types of taskings that might be assigned to us same thing for the U.S.S Freedom."

The vessel is designed to employ modular mission packages that can be configured for three separate purposes: surface warfare, mine counter-measures and anti-submarine warfare. "Part of the hull has a 57mm Bofors cannon that stays with the ship no matter what mission package ram missile launcher that provides a point defense or defense against any type of missile that may be launched at the ship," he said.

The U.S.S. Freedom will be docked on Guam until the middle part of next week. Even with the threats from North Korea, Commander Wilke says his mission has not changed, and his arrival in Guam was always scheduled and will continue on to Southeast Asia. He said, "The ship will be operating out of Southeast Asia and will be working with regional navy's in that area for training and exercises as well as whatever other taskings that might be assigned to us by the fleet commander."

Whether or not the U.S.S. Freedom will be participating in the ongoing training exercises in the Korea area, Commander Wilke says that can only answered by the fleet commander or above.