Exercise Obangame Express (OE) is one of three African regional “Express” series exercises sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and facilitated by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet (NAVEUR-NAVAF-SIXTHFLT). The exercise is designed to train NAVAF/SIXTHFLT forces while advancing AFRICOM Campaign Plan Lines of Effort.
The exercise will improve regional cooperation in support of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct, Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), information sharing between Maritime Operation Centers (MOCs), maritime interdiction, adherence to the rule of law, and counter-proliferation interdiction capabilities in order to disrupt illicit maritime activity and strengthen safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea. The exercise begins with an in-port training period followed by at-sea scenarios. The underway portion of the exercise tests participating MOCs’ and ships’ abilities to coordinate and conduct maritime interdiction operations (MIO) by boarding teams against simulated suspect vessels, detecting illicit activity, and follow-on evidence collection procedures.
The exercise will take place across five exercise zones in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Guinea that stretch from Cabo Verde to Angola, and across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) nations.
This year’s activities include maritime interdiction operations to combat illegal fishing and search and rescue simulations—designed to build trust and security across our shared Atlantic waters.
The opening ceremony for Obangame Express 2024 kicked off today, May 6, 2024. U.S. Ambassador to Gabon, Vernelle FitzPatrick, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral (RDML) Michael Mattis, Director of Strategic Effects, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, and Mr. William Moeller III, Foreign Policy Advisor, Naval Forces Africa, greeted Major General Brigitte Onkanowa, Ministry of Defence of Gabon. The ceremony officially began with speeches delivered by: AMB FitzPatrick, Minister Onkanowa, and RDML Mattis, in Libreville, Gabon.
We applaud Gabon’s commitment to stability and cooperation in the region and to working with partners to deter malign actors at sea. As the US Ambassador said in her opening remarks, “Gabon’s unwavering commitment is key to addressing the diverse challenges we face together.”
“Here’s to a challenging, productive, and safe Obangame Express! Let’s celebrate our collective efforts to create a safer maritime environment.”
“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.
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.