From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sat Mar 21 2009 - 07:41:19 EST
United States Extends Friendly Hand to East Africa
Maritime safety and security are focus of U.S.-led international effort
By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Staff Writer
21 March 2009
Washington - The U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, which have extended a helping hand to a
number of West African countries in the past few years, are now reaching out
to East Africa, too.
The broad program is known as the Africa Partnership Station (APS). It
started in 2007 as an international security effort offering training and
other forms of collaboration to improve maritime safety and security off the
West African coast. (See "
<http://www.america.gov/st/foraid-english/2009/February/20090223110034sjhtro
p0.3371546.html> Naval Engagement in Africa Offers Health Dividends.")
The United States launched APS to help African nations achieve stability and
economic prosperity through civilian-military maritime mentoring as well as
military-to-military training.
Seeing the benefits of the program, African officials on the other side of
the continent asked for similar help. This paved the way for the first APS
visit to Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya this year by the USS Robert G.
Bradley. The naval vessel carried a team of U.S., European, South American
and African personnel that coached personnel in three host countries on ways
to combat piracy; drug, weapons, and human trafficking; and fish poaching.
Illegal fishing is a significant problem in East Africa. The region loses an
estimated $310 million every year because it lacks the maritime
infrastructure to combat the problem.
That is where this kind of good neighbor initiative can make a difference.
Its training focuses on information sharing that will give African maritime
forces a complete image of what is happening in nearby waters through a
shared communication network. Hands-on training is offered to help develop a
professional maritime corps that will be ready to respond to a host of
potential security challenges.
U.S. Navy Captain Nicholas Holman returned recently from several weeks
leading the crew of the Bradley during training, humanitarian assistance and
partnership-building ventures. He said the goal of the effort is to improve
ocean monitoring activities so that they will be on par with airspace
monitoring efforts.
Holman told the Defense Bloggers Roundtable March 11 that this is important
because some of the regional navies and coast guards do not have the
capability "to do much about anything that's going on in their waters."
School supplies are delivered to students in Ghana as part of the Africa
Partnership Station initiative.
Most of the training occurred onboard, but in some cases simulated boarding
of ships was conducted using small boats in the host countries. Training
included instruction in navigation and handling emergencies at sea.
During the Bradley's visit to Mozambique, instructors worked with indigenous
forces on maritime search-and-seizure techniques. "This is a new adventure
on the East Coast [of Africa]," Holman said.
MARITIME SAFETY IS KEY TO SUCCESS
Wherever they went, training instructors hammered home the need for maritime
safety. Two African sailors died at sea in 2008 in an accident involving
excessive speed. Better ship handling and crew safety are themes that Navy
captains emphasize whenever they have the ear of a student audience.
East African navies are also interested in acquiring more vessels. Holman
said the State Department is looking at ways to provide additional Archangel
patrol boats.
He said Kenya is interested in resuming U.S. naval visits to its Indian
Ocean port, Mombassa.
Community outreach is another important aspect of the APS initiative. When a
ship docks at a port, crew members disembark and head to local orphanages,
schools and hospitals where they repair and repaint. The Navy pitches in and
buys the paint and sailors provide the labor.
This is how it worked when the sailors helped paint the Kidz Care orphanage
in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Holman said his sailors enjoy these
opportunities to interact and leave behind a lasting touch.
Community outreach also entails the delivery of donated supplies through the
Navy's Project Handclasp. Collected toys and personal hygiene products were
carried in the Bradley's hold and distributed during shore visits.
For more information, see <http://www.america.gov/world/africa.html>
Africa: Partnering for Prosperity.