Ambassador Wolfgang Waldner visited San Diego, California, as part of the U.S. State Department’s "Experience America" program from June 16 to 18, 2019. The program included meetings with prominent business and community leaders, as well as local entrepreneurs.
The Ambassador had the opportunity to tour an active aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt. She is the fourth out of ten Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the U.S. Navy. Launched in 1984, the warship saw her first action during the Gulf War’s Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
At the Naval Special Warfare Center, he interacted with the U.S. Navy Sea, Air and Land Team (SEALs) and viewed equipment and apparatus used by the special teams. The SEAL teams are the U.S. Navy’s primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Conducting small-unit maritime military operations are among their main functions.
The town of San Ysidro is home to one of the busiest border crossings in the world, where the American Interstate 5 highway crosses into Mexico at Tijuana. Ambassador Waldner toured the facilities associated with the divisions of air and maritime, border crossing and cargo, and met with Customs and Border Protection officials to learn more about the scope of work.
Additional activities included touring the medical research facility The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, the communications company Viasat and visiting the baseball park of the San Diego Padres.
Photos from official sources and by Ambassador Waldner