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Cutlass Express 2018 - Multinational maritime exercise ends on high note |08 February 2018

 

 

 

A week-long multinational exercise to help make the region a safer place for maritime commerce, the Cutlass Express 2018, came to an end yesterday.

A short ceremony was organised at the Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA) in Perseverance to mark this accomplishment.

The deputy chief of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) Colonel Clifford Roseline made the closing statement in the presence of the US ambassador to Seychelles and Mauritius David Reimer, the vice- commander of US Sixth fleet Rear Admiral Shawn Duane, officers from regional navies, coastguards, law enforcement and maritime agencies.

In this seventh iteration, 17 countries and multiple international organisations in the East African and Western Indian Ocean region took part in the exercise which was conducted not only here in Seychelles, but also in Djibouti.

Key official representatives from respective agencies received certificates on behalf of the participating countries which included Comoros, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia and Seychelles.

Col. Roseline said the various scenarios unfolded as planned during the exercises and the participants have gained tremendous knowledge by taking part in this year’s exercise, which is continually improving and getting more realistic with time.

“I commend U.S AFRICOM, NAVAF and our European partners for such initiative and their involvement that have once again brought all of us from the region together, to exercise and in doing so prepare us for the future,” he said.

During the week a senior leaders seminar that brought together regional military and law enforcement leaders was also held.

Col. Roseline noted that the seminar will go a long way towards making our region safe and secure as it will facilitate future communications among the participants.

Col. Roseline said as always, Seychelles remains committed to doing its fair share in ensuring that our region remains safe and secure; hence our continued engagement and commitment at both national and regional level.

He noted that the hosting of the Regional Centre for Operation Coordination (RCOC) in Seychelles as well the setting-up of the National Information-Sharing and Coordination Centre (NISCC) are testimony of this commitment.

He said in the coming three weeks SPDF will host the biennial exercise ‘LAMITYE’, a joint military exercise with the Indian military and in April, two of our ships and one aircraft will transit to Reunion Island to participate alongside other Indian Ocean states in the exercise ‘PAPANGUE 2018’.

The US ambassador, who is on his first official visit to Seychelles following his accreditation earlier this week, said Seychelles deserves recognition as an emerging regional leader in maritime security in the Indian Ocean.

“Maritime security was the first thing that President Faure and I discussed yesterday (Tuesday). It is not just a U.S. or Seychellois concern, it is an international priority.  And the 17 countries gathered here in support of this exercise is a clear confirmation of your continued desire for a strategic partnership among our nations... As the President and I discussed, enhancing maritime security is smart policy.  It helps counter transnational crime, fight drug trafficking, curb criminal networks, and make your waters and coasts safer,” he said.

He said that since 2007, the US Navy has expanded its engagement with partner nations in the region by increasing its deployments in support of maritime security training with the goal of developing lasting relationships in the region. 

“It is about people getting to know each other, trusting each other, helping each other and learning from one another how to cooperate, coordinate and collaborate. Through these relationships, we build better partnerships that strengthen regional cooperation and provide better security,” he said.

Rear Admiral Duane said they specifically learned how to enhance maritime security capabilities, improve information sharing best practices and strengthen the bonds of each and every participating nation so that we can all work together for the long term.

“During the exercise, we saw the importance of maritime operation centres working together, communicating effectively, and increasing maritime domain awareness such that boarding teams were able to deploy when needed. The lessons learned this week will bring forth greater success in the future,” he said.

He noted that Cutlass Express 2018 was historic in that for the first time in 30 years Somalia has been able to engage in a multinational exercise outside of their borders.

On behalf of U.S. Naval Forces Africa, he thanked the citizens, government and SPDF officials, and the media of Seychelles for the heartfelt welcome offered to military members from the United States and from all other countries that took part in Cutlass Express 2018.

During an interview with the media, Second Lieutenant Kurl Elisabeth from the Seychelles Coast Guard said it was a very interesting experience.

“We learned how to approach a suspected vessel at sea, how to interrogate the crew and the procedure to board the vessel and what to search for. An example scenario is when a vessel claims to be transporting wood but after it is searched illegal firearms are found,” he said.

He said an area of improvement would be planning out the programme for everyone to know their respective role.

The NAVAF communications planner Lieutenant Robert Hauser said he was proud to be part of the exercise and all the new things he has learned from the experiences shared.

“I was impressed with the different language sets from the various countries and the different roles they acted in while working as a team,” he said.

He said the main challenge was communication because of the language barrier as it was hard to get into details and paint the picture as it was intended to be received.

 

 

 

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