Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) General William E. "Kip" Ward spoke to African partners and U.S. sailors aboard USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG 49) February 7, 2011, during the first of many port visits of Africa Partnership Station (APS) West.



Ward spoke about the importance of the APS mission at an all-hands call on the flight deck of Robert G. Bradley.



"I cannot stress enough the importance of the job you are doing with all of the partners involved in the APS mission," said Ward. "The work you do here embodies the true meaning of 'partnership' and the relationships we are building with African nations. I thank you for your commitment, your hard work and dedication to making this a successful start to the APS mission."



Ward closed his speech talking about the positive effect APS has on bilateral relations between the United States and African countries. He used the relationship U.S. has with Togo as the shining example.



Before departing, Ward met with the senior leadership, toured the ship, and presented two Robert G. Bradley Sailors with award for their hard work.



"On behalf of the crew I would like to thank General Ward for taking the time to visit Robert G. Bradley," said Commander Darryl Brown, commanding officer of Robert G. Bradley. "His enthusiasm for the APS mission was very motivating to all on board and shows that the hard work we are putting in APS West is being noticed."