This past weekend, Governor Arnold I. Palacios welcomed Commander David Gardener, Commander Eric Burtner-Abt, Command Senior Chief Kendall Lindvold, and the crew of the USS Mobile to Saipan. The ship is making a port call through Thursday. The USS Mobile, an Independence-variant littoral combat ship, adds to the increasing number of port calls to the CNMI and underscores the CNMI’s role in  regional security and its partnership with the United States Department of Defense.