USS Alreigh Burke (DDG 51) pulled into Algiers, Algeria, October 5, 2009, for a two-day port visit aimed at strengthening the maritime partnership between the United States and Algeria.



During the visit, the ship's crew will have a chance to host 20 Algerian Navy midshipmen, conduct ship tours, and conduct visit, board, search, and seizure training with the Algerian Navy.



Additionally the crew will plan and conduct a passage exercise (PASSEX) with the Algerian Navy when the ship departs. During the PASSEX the Arleigh Burke and an Algerian Navy ship will conduct at-sea maneuvers that help both Navies learn to operate together while underway.



In addition to meeting their counterparts in the Algerian military, sailors from the Arleigh Burke will also participate in soccer matches with Algerian sailors as well as other cultural activities with local nationals.



Arleigh Burke, a guided-missile destroyer home-ported in Norfolk, Virginia, is on a regularly scheduled deployment to the 6th Fleet area of responsibility. The ship has supported various partnership-building operations and training, including Africa Partnership Station port visits in Djibouti, Kenya and Seychelles and is scheduled to continue similar port visits to Mauritius and Tanzania in the coming months.