Swift Crew Meets with Cameroon Military and Civilian Leadership at Start of APS Visit

By Ensign Joe Keiley, High Speed Vessel Swift 2 Swift Public Affairs

DOUALA, Cameroon (NNS) -- The leadership of Military Sealift Command-chartered High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) began a week of Africa Partnership Station (APS) West 2012 engagements in Port of Douala Aug. 27 with several office visits with the military and political leaders in the region.

The ship arrived in Cameroon Aug. 26 after leaving Nigeria, following a weeklong APS visit there.

Swift's Military Detachment Officer-in-Charge Lt.Cmdr. Brad Fillius met with the various leaders of the commands and departments that will be impacted the most by the APS events scheduled for the week.

"Today was probably the busiest day of meeting dignitaries thus far, but also the most enjoyable because we were able to get the word out about what we're doing here and hope to accomplish, and get the feedback for future APS visits," said Fillius.

The delegation from Swift visited the regional governor's office for Douala, commander of the 2nd Joint Military Region, Commandant of the 2nd Gendarmerie Region, Commanding Officer Douala Naval Base, Surfaces Forces Commander, as well as the Douala Mayor's office.

"These visits remind us of the importance of the sea; paying attention to the sea is a new way of thinking for us," said Capt. Lucien Dzou, commander Douala Naval Base. "The training is great too, because when you train one man, you train many more, so APS has been really great for us."

The visits allowed for an exchange of information on the APS program which includes the classroom instruction that began Monday with courses on port security, Marine Corps martial arts, non-commissioned officer leadership, and maritime domain awareness and oil platform protection classes. All the classes seek to build partnerships and knowledge to confront the emerging issues a nation like Cameroon faces.

"Piracy is a new threat to Cameroon and we are doing everything we can to fight it," said Major Gen. Mahamadou Saly, 2nd Joint Military Region commander.

Swift's embarked medical team is also working closely with the Cameroon military doctors to exchange information and expertise. Swift's crew plans on playing a soccer game with the Cameroonians and sprucing up a local orphanage by painting it during a community outreach event.

The crew will invite distinguished visitors aboard ship for a reception Aug. 29 giving guests the chance to see the ship, understand its capabilities and build relationships that will foster cooperation for future visits.

APS is an international security cooperation initiative intended to strengthen global maritime partnerships through training and collaborative activities to improve maritime safety and security in Africa.

HSV 2 Swift is an Australian built, privately-owned, privately-operated vessel that has been outfitted for the U.S. Navy. Swift is manned by contract mariners who operate the ship, navigation, and engineering, while the military detachment oversees theater security cooperation efforts.

APS Brings African NCOs to Prepare Training for Deployment

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Christopher B. Stoltz, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

NAPLES, Italy (NNS) -- Sailors from Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training (MCAST) helped African sailors develop a senior enlisted leadership curriculum for non-commissioned officers (NCO) at the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa headquarters in Naples, Italy, Aug. 10.

Building off the information learned from earlier Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2012 missions, the course provided eight sailors from Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria, and Senegal a training outline for senior enlisted leadership that will be used in future APS missions.

"They've had basic and advanced instructor training from previous training missions and engagements that they're basing the curriculum on," said Chief Equipment Operator David Martin, course instructor. "They showed up well-prepared to further that training with 85 slides already finished and ready to add more."

 The African sailors came together to build a final objective for the training, a mission statement for the NCO trainees, a slideshow of 110 slides and an instructor book.

"We learned how to develop the objective, enable the objective and review the objective that will be used to improve our training methods in our home countries," said Senegalese navy Petty Officer 1st Class Mamadou A. N'Diaye. "We can take this improved curriculum back for our NCOs, so they can learn from it."

During the course, the African sailors noticed personal growth and were excited to get back and teach the new curriculum.

"I'll be able to bring up better leaders with this training," said Nigerian Chief Petty Officer Sylvester Amede Odaiche. "The course in Cameroon was basic and this is advanced, and I feel it has made me a better instructor."

Each instructor will train small classes of about 25 NCOs in advanced leadership courses throughout upcoming APS missions.

"I think that things in the curriculum course are very well organized and very easy to understand," said Gabonese navy Petty Officer 1st Class Pierre Mboulou Allogo. "I learned a lot about leadership and the role of being a leader, and that means training our people to be leaders as well."

APS is an international security cooperation initiative, facilitated by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, aimed at strengthening global maritime partnerships through training and collaborative activities in order to improve maritime safety and security in Africa.

Africa Partnership Station Promotes Security Cooperation

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

STUTTGART, Germany, June 27, 2012 – An ongoing international effort to help African nations improve maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea represents one of U.S. Africa Command’s most successful programs while embodying the command’s core principles, Africom’s director of strategy, plans and programs reported.

Army Maj. Gen. Charles Hooper called Africa Partnership Station – an initiative that has grown over the past five years to include more than 30 African, European and North and South American countries – a model of international and interagency cooperation.

Participants are working together to develop capacity among countries along the Gulf of Guinea so they can control their territorial waters and crack down on illicit trafficking and other criminal activity.

And what happens at sea matters, not just for Africa, but for the entire world that depends on access to the global commons, Hooper said. He noted the direct link between maritime security, development, prosperity, stability and peace.

“In my mind, African Partnership Station embodies everything that is good and unique about Africa Command,” Hooper said. “Why is it so successful? It’s a unique program that allows us to train, teach and mentor, not only the armed forces of those nations in the Gulf of Guinea, but also some of their law enforcement forces.”

That, Hooper said, makes it “the perfect Africom program.”

“It involves the interagency team, engaging in teaching, coaching, mentoring and building the capacity of our African partners to solve their own problems,” he said.

This directly supports President Barack Obama’s Africa policy and the recognition that has guided Africom since its inception in 2008, he noted. “It is our African partners who are best equipped and best pointed to address African challenges,” Hooper said.

This year’s engagement, the largest yet, kicked off with its first port visit in February in Lagos, Nigeria, and continues through September. The guided missile frigate USS Simpson launched this year’s training program in Lagos, with the crew working with sailors and coast guardsmen from 12 African nations in the first leg of training events.

The high-speed vessel Swift began visiting Africa this spring. Later this summer, USS Fort McHenry will join the Africa Partnership Station mission.

Training events throughout the program, both ashore and at sea, are being tailored to help African maritime nations improve their own capabilities while strengthening their relationships with partner nations. This, officials said, promotes regional cooperation to address common threats, such as piracy and illicit trafficking, and in promoting energy and resource security.

“By working together, African navies and coast guards are able to bring maritime safety and security, which will help secure their future,” said Navy Chief Warrant Officer Eve McAnallen, the Africa Partnership Station training officer.

Commodore Andrew Dacosta, director of training for the Nigerian navy who helped to plan this year’s mission, said African Partnership Station underscores the importance of that effort. “APS has helped us realize the needs for collaboration, cooperation for the collective security of the maritime environment,” he said.

Gabonese Chief Petty Officer Pierre Mboulou welcomed the opportunity to participate in this year’s training.

“I really appreciate the APS program, because it helps us improve and meet our potential through different experiences,” he said. “I hope this program can be held every year and keep going to help African militaries.”

(The U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and U.S. 6th Fleet public affairs office contributed to this article.)

Cameroon: National Guard joins 36 nations in Africa’s largest communications exercise

By Army 1st Lt. Miranda Summers Lowe

District of Columbia National Guard

DOUALA, Cameroon - National Guard members from two states and the District of Columbia are participating in Operation Africa Endeavor, a joint training mission sponsored by U.S. Africa Command which focuses on communications interoperability and information sharing among African Union, the U.S. and partner nations.

Two Air National Guard officers are serving as observer/controllers during the exercise portion of the two-week mission. One of their first tasks was to help develop the training scenario which is based on African Union, U.S., and U.N. response to a major earthquake in a fictitious country.

Air Force Lt. Col. Randy Coltrin, of the 217th Air Operations Group, and Lt. Col. Jeff Marks, of the 183rd Fighter Wing, have been working with teammates from Canada, Uganda, Nigeria and Tanzania.

“Watching the African nations work together has been a great experience. They treat each other so well,” said Marks. “Through this training, spending two weeks together, we’ve really built camaraderie with each other.”

Coltrin added that coordinating so many delegations from across the world has been a challenge, but hard work had been making the operation successful. Two planning conferences took place before the event started.

“The planning that went into this operation has been tremendous--and it paid off,” said Coltrin. “We came in and hit the ground running. We were unable to go to the planning conference, but because of the hard work that went into the planning, everyone seems to understand why they’re here. The scenario planning has been thorough. There’s so much background.”

And participation has been high among those involved in the planning and execution of the exercise.

“I’m very impressed by the level of participation I see from the African Nations. I’ve really enjoyed working with so many people, so many different countries,” Coltrin added.

Operation Africa Endeavor is in its sixth iteration.

Africans Training Africans in Cameroon

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gary A. Prill, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

DOUALA, Cameroon (NNS) -- The Senegalese military contributed a mobile training team in support of Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2011 in Cameroon, June 10.

For the first time in APS history, Senegal contributed a three-man team to teach a five-day visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) course to Cameroonian, Congolese and Gabonese students.

"APS has grown," said Capt. Lawrence Rollo, maritime affairs officer for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa. "We have more hubs focused on more training with international and multinational exercises at sea. In the future, we hope that this continues to grow and more African partners will step up as training teams for APS."

In the past, all APS training was conducted by country trainers from nations outside of Africa. Trainers have consisted of teams from Brazil, Italy and the United States.

"APS is a program of partnership among African nations and other friends. It helps create fraternity, solidarity and cooperation among these African states," said Senegalese instructor Raphael Toudji. "Already the communication is easier; we have shed the language barrier we had when working with many non-African partners. Additionally, our countries are becoming more aware that we truly have the same adversaries. They are not our neighbors' militaries, but the illegal actors in our region."

One of the most significant impacts of having African nations teaching other African nations is the relationship reinforcement the two countries receive.

"We need to reinforce these relationships of cooperation against the traffickers and pirates. The increase of sharing intelligence and training among our nations ensures that the bad actors who are trying to take advantage of us will not prevail," Toudji explained.

APS is a multinational security cooperation initiative, currently comprised of 34 nations and sponsored by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa. It is aimed at improving maritime safety and security in Africa while building lasting relationships.

APS brings together an international team of expert trainers in a variety of military capabilities, and a handful of civilian fields. It focuses on addressing maritime professionals, maritime infrastructure, maritime domain awareness and response capabilities while simultaneously fostering regional and comprehensive approach.