Nigerian Navy
Nigerian Navy
Nigerian Navy
Nigerian Navy Hosts Multi-National Maritime Exercise,
Obangame Express
1. The Nigerian Navy will from 15 – 20 March 2019 hosts an
annual multi-national maritime exercise called OBANGAME EXPRESS.
OBANGAME EXPRESS is an annual multi-phased exercise sponsored by
the US Naval Forces Africa (US NAVAF) and is designed to improve
regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness,
information-sharing and enhance the collective capabilities of Gulf
of Guinea and West African navies to counter illegalities in the
maritime domain.
2. Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS 2019 (OE19) comprising about 31
participating countries including 20 African nations and 11 allied
countries is being hosted by the Nigerian Navy in Western Naval
Command Area of Responsibility, with the Chief of the Naval Staff,
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, as the chief host. Eight Nigerian Navy
ships including 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels (NNS CENTENARY and NNS
UNITY), 2 helos and one ship each from US, Portugal and Morocco
would be participating in Lagos area. Currently, OBANGAME EXPRESS
is the largest maritime exercise in the world according to the
Commander US NAVAF, Admiral James G Foggo. The OE19 is aimed at
assessing and improving Gulf of Guinea law enforcement capacity,
promote national and regional security, improve knowledge on
African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) planning and
operations, and shape security force assistance efforts.
3. As part of the activities of OBANGAME EXPRESS, a Senior
Leadership Symposium will hold from 19 – 21 March 2019. It is
expected that the Senior Leadership Symposium would elicit
discussions geared toward finding solutions to our common maritime
security challenges while the trainings and the exercise would
foster togetherness among regional and friendly navies in the task
of restoring order and governance in the Gulf of Guinea maritime
domain.
SULEMAN DAHUN
Commodore
for Chief of the Naval Staff