African, international maritime forces strengthen sector’s governance

Thirty-two participating nations have marked the successful conclusion of exercise Obangame Express 2024 in Libreville, Gabon, after two weeks of varied, collaborative training throughout Africa’s West Coast and the Gulf of Guinea.

Obangame Express provides an opportunity for participating navies to improve communications, both ship-to-shore and between maritime operation centres (MOCs), through realistic training scenarios that enhance the maritime security environment. These efforts support a more secure, safe, and economically prosperous maritime environment.

During exercise Obangame Express 2024, the 13th iteration of the exercise, partner and ally forces collaborated to enhance collective maritime law enforcement capabilities, bolster national and regional security in West Africa, and foster greater interoperability among American, African, and multinational partners.

The exercise kicked off with an opening ceremony at the Cadet School of Libreville, as Gabonese Defense Minister, Major General Brigitte Onkanowa, U.S. Ambassador to Gabon, Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick and Director of Strategic Effects for U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF), Rear Adm. Michael Mattis, ushered in the 13th iteration of West and Central Africa’s largest maritime exercise.

FitzPatrick noted that the Republic of Gabon and other African partners are the cornerstones of Obangame Express while adding that the collaboration has been instrumental in strengthening maritime governance and security, crucial for the economic vitality of a region where over 90 percent of trade is conducted by sea.

“Together, in our shared Atlantic Basin, we are tackling pressing challenges posed by malign actors, such as illegal fishing, piracy, and illicit trafficking, which threaten not only local economies but also global commerce, safety, and the marine environment,” he said.

The exercise got partners and allies on a robust program of land-based and at-sea events throughout a vast operating area.

As the host nation, Gabon served as the primary hub for exercise command and control. A multinational contingent of liaison officers (LNOs) and NAVAF personnel led the exercise from the Exercise Control Group (ECG) in Libreville.

For the first time, there was an establishment of an overall ECG lead, Nigerian Navy Captain Adagogo Jaja. Jaja, an Obangame Express veteran, provided leadership and guidance to the LNOs in the ECG, enhancing collaboration and coordination among participants. He also provided invaluable training to the ECG crew that will prove beneficial long after the exercise.

“Approaching our exercise control group in this way had immense benefits for all nations, allowing for streamlined communications across nations and zones.

“Another great benefit of this exercise is the relationships we build. Now, when one nation needs to talk to another, they know their counterparts by name and have a greater awareness of how they can best operate together,” he said.

While forces trained on land and in various MOCs, a flotilla of naval assets undertook multiple maritime scenarios, working together to counter piracy, Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing (IUUF), and human, arms and drug trafficking. The combined team also completed search and rescue, refueling and shiphandling as well as maneuvering evolutions.

The events took place throughout the five zones of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct, which serves as a foundational maritime security initiative in the West and Central African region. The exercise rehearsed and refined reporting processes, communication procedures, and understanding of and adherence to the Code.

The Code, in effect for more than a decade, brings African partners together in an information-sharing agreement with facilities and operations centers in multiple countries across the region. This information sharing filters through national MOCs, to regional coordination centers, and eventually to the interregional coordination center (ICC) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Approximately 5,000 personnel from 32 participating nations joined the 2024 version of the exercise, accomplishing 108 scenarios. The 32 nations included Angola, Benin, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Liberia, Morocco, Namibia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Republic of Congo, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, The Gambia, Togo, Tunisia, and the United States.

Additionally, representatives and LNOs from throughout the Yaoundé Code of Conduct infrastructure, including the ICC, Regional Center For Maritime Security in Central Africa (CRESMAC) and Regional Center For Maritime Security in West Africa (CRESMAO), participated from the ECG, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and INTERPOL also joined the exercise in multiple countries.