Fleet and the Tunisian naval forces. The closing ceremony marked the end of this year’s exercise, which took place in Tunisia, with training held in the southern Mediterranean and in the territorial waters of the participating North African countries. Members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Army worked alongside African and European allies and partners to integrate the use of the Multinational Communications Center (MNCC), thereby enhancing communication between maritime forces from Europe, North Africa, and the United States, as highlighted by the U.S. 6th Fleet.
This 12-day exercise brought together North African, European, and American maritime forces as part of a global network of maritime security forces to improve cooperation and expertise in maritime security operations in the southern Mediterranean.
« Phoenix Express is one of the most important means of collaboration between our nations, » said Vice Admiral J.T. Anderson, Commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet. « It is essential to enhance regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information sharing, and tactical expertise with our allies and partner nations to combat illicit activities at sea in North Africa and the southern Mediterranean. »
Phoenix Express aims to enhance the capabilities and interoperability of both land and maritime maritime security operations. The use of the MNCC and the Maritime Operations Center is designed to improve communications with participating Allies and partner nations. Embarkation, diving, and search and rescue exercises allowed participating countries to share information, refine tactics, and improve techniques to strengthen maritime security in the region.
« The presence of Tunisia in Phoenix Express 2024 is an honor, » said Commodore Noureddine Chakroun, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Tunisian Navy in charge of operations. « Our strategic location in the Mediterranean allowed us to facilitate multinational operations that address shared security goals by collectively meeting the challenges of maritime security. »
The participating countries were Algeria, Belgium, Georgia, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United States. Phoenix Express is one of three regional maritime exercises conducted by the U.S. Navy in Africa, facilitated by the Commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, as part of a global strategy to offer collaboration opportunities for African forces and international partners to address maritime security concerns.
The commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, oversees all joint and naval operations, often in collaboration with allied partners and interagency efforts, to promote national interests, security, and stability in Europe and Africa.
New Capabilities Brought to the Naval Exercise
Marines from the 8th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion (8th ESB EOD), 2nd Marine Logistics Group (2nd MLG), and Headquarters & Service Battalion, 2nd MLG introduced a series of weapons of mass destruction countermeasure techniques, including identification and handling of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons, mechanical and thermal breaches, and exploitation of sensitive sites, revealed the 6th Fleet.
The Marines of the 8th ESB EOD and 2nd MLG also worked alongside U.S. Coast Guard members to conduct visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) exercises with allies and partner nations throughout the ten-day exercise.
« Each of these skill sets is essential to U.S. Coast Guard global operations of visit, board, search, and seizure, » said Master Gunnery Sergeant Nick Confortini, Officer-in-Charge of the Marine detachment for Phoenix Express. « These trainings are a critical aspect of global maritime security operations. The information exchange we conducted over the last ten days has not only improved our cooperation with our allies and partners but also our joint capabilities. »
The CBRN training ensures that the U.S. and its partners have the ability to respond to CBRN incidents and rapidly restore normal operations if such an incident occurs.
Source: africanmanager
