U.S. Naval Forces Africa kicks off exercise Obangame Express 2024 in Gabon

U.S. Naval Forces Africa kicks off exercise Obangame Express 2024 in Gabon

In an opening ceremony at the Cadet School of Libreville, Gabon, the Gabonese Navy, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF), and more than 30 regional and international partners kicked off the 13th iteration of exercise Obangame Express, May 6, 2024.

West Africa’s premier maritime exercise, Obangame Express improves regional cooperation in support of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct and enhances maritime domain awareness, information sharing between Maritime Operation Centers (MOC), maritime interdiction procedures, adherence to the rule of law, and counter-proliferation interdiction capabilities. “Obangame” means “togetherness” in the Fang language, which is spoken primarily in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

As highest authorities of the event, Gabonese Defense Minister, Major General Brigitte Onkanowa, U.S. Ambassador to Gabon Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick, and Rear Adm. Michael Mattis, Director of Strategic Effects for NAVEUR-NAVAF, delivered remarks at the opening ceremony and officially ushered in the exercise from the Gabonese capital city.

“After six years, Gabon is back on the international naval stage, a second time, to host the 13th edition of exercise Obangame Express. It is an honor and a privilege for our country and mainly our Navy to do it, as we continue to work, side by side, with our partners and Allies in this critical and strategic region of the world,” said RDML Charles Hubert Bekale Meyong. “Obangame means ‘togetherness,’ and it is in this spirit of togetherness that we welcome so many of our friends to this exercise as we deepen interoperability and enhance our collective capabilities in the maritime domain.”

Over the next two weeks, exercise participants will train on a variety of exercise serials, including integration between MOCs, Multinational Maritime Coordination Centers and the Interregional Coordination Center; visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) scenarios; women, peace and security (WPS) events; medical, legal and public communications training; and information and process sharing, all designed to combat illicit activity, including smuggling, oil bunkering, and illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing. Refining operational procedures and gaining a deeper understanding on an interpersonal level is fundamental to what makes Obangame Express such an important part of the maritime security infrastructure in West and Central Africa.

“There really is no substitute to coming together in person and training alongside one another in exercises like this,” said Mattis. “Obangame Express remains the premier maritime exercise in West and Central Africa due to the outstanding efforts of professionals from dozens of countries year in and year out. We are thrilled to learn from our partners and Allies as we test our individual and combined capabilities and procedures over the next two weeks.”

Unique to this year’s iteration is the first ever deployment of U.S. unmanned surface vehicles (USV) in the Gulf of Guinea and enhanced SeaVision and MOC incorporation, enabling participants to train on new and more capable systems and communication methods throughout the duration of the exercise. For the first time in the series, Obangame Express will also contain linkages to the Special Operations Command Africa-led exercise Flintlock, with multinational combined VBSS events taking place in Takoradi, Ghana.

U.S. Navy Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) will also join the exercise, having arrived at Port Owendo in Gabon yesterday. After getting underway again to support the exercise, the ship and her crew will act as a platform for VBSS scenarios, will provide maritime domain awareness throughout the exercise, and will launch and recover USVs. The ship is on a scheduled deployment to the African continent and has completed multiple engagements and port visits in the Gulf of Guinea in recent months.

Obangame Express 2024 comes shortly after personnel from many of these participating nations joined the combined African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS) and Naval Infantry Leaders Symposium-Africa (NILS-A), hosted in Accra, Ghana. During the combined AMFS/NILS-A event, maritime leaders from African coastal nations and their counterparts from around the world participated in a series of panels and focused discussions concerning maritime security and collaboration. These discussions and connections, combined with real-world applications in venues such as Obangame Express, increase interoperability across domains and continents, creating innovative efforts and initiatives to ensure security and stability throughout Africa’s waters.

During exercise Obangame Express 2024, the 13th iteration of the exercise, partner and ally forces collaborate to enhance collective maritime law enforcement capabilities, bolster national and regional security in West Africa, and foster greater interoperability among U.S., African, and multinational partners. The U.S. routinely exercises with our partners in Africa to build enduring relationships and combined capacity to ensure the safety and security of the regional maritime environment.

By PRNigeria