Maritime @ MindSay 
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
May 31, 2007 – This fall, a U.S. Navy ship will embark on a six-month deployment to the Gulf of Guinea region, part of a multinational maritime security and safety initiative that partners with several west- and central-African nations, a senior U.S. Navy officer said here today. The yet-to-be designated amphibious ship will carry 200 to 300 sailors and U.S. Coast Guard members who will man training teams that will work with eleven Gulf of Guinea nations, helping them to build their maritime security capabilities, Navy Adm. Henry G. Ulrich III, commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Europe -- based in Naples, Italy -- told reporters today at a news conference held at Fort Lesley J. McNair here.
The news conference followed a meeting of African, American, French, Portuguese and other military and diplomatic representatives. The meeting was hosted by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, which falls under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, an element of the Office of the Secretary of Defense's policy directorate.
At a ministerial conference in Cotonou, Benin, in November, ministers and representatives of Angola, Benin, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, and Togo committed themselves to improve their nations' maritime security and safety systems.
Piracy, illegal fishing, unlawful immigration and smuggling plague several Gulf of Guinea countries, Ulrich said, noting such unlawful activities can attract other undesirable elements, including terrorists.
"Security means that there's governance," Ulrich explained. "And, where there's security and governance is not where people who we describe as terrorists like to go.
"We're trying to eliminate voids (of law and order)," the admiral continued, noting Gulf of Guinea nations also are interested in establishing their own Coast Guards.
Ulrich said he was very pleased by participant African nations' reaction to the planned six-month deployment to the Gulf of Guinea, a version of the Navy's Global Fleet Station concept. The pilot GFS deployment began April 25 when High Speed Vessel 2 Swift and Task Group 40.9 departed Naval Station Mayport, Fla., for Central South American ports-of-call.
"I'm really, really optimistic that this is going to be the tipping point for us and move this whole initiative of maritime safety and security ahead," Ulrich said.
It's paramount for the United States to follow through with the Gulf of Guinea initiative, retired U.S. Ambassador Peter R. Chaveas, director of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, emphasized at the news conference.
"One aspect of Africans' experience with the United States going back decades is that the United States has shown a great tendency to start some great initiatives and too often the experience is that we're not there five years later, we don't follow through on it." Chaveas explained. "And so, Africans look at these things skeptically with that in mind. So, it's very, very important as has been going on in this particular context, to keep at this.
"We have to keep communicating with them, consulting with them, making the case that we're in this with them for the longer term," Chaveas said.
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WASHINGTON, July 5, 2006 – The U.S. military is stepping up operations in the Gulf of Guinea to enhance security in this strategic and resource-rich region, the commander of U.S. European Command's naval surface combatant warships told the Pentagon Channel. U.S. military engagement along southwestern Africa's Atlantic coast has increased exponentially, Navy Capt. Tom Rowden, commander of Task Force 65, said during a Pentagon interview last week. It's increased from almost no activity in 2004 to 130 "ship days" in 2005 to even more planned ship days this year, he said.
The goal is to build long-term relationships that promote greater security and stability in the region, Rowden explained. The region faces several potentially destabilizing factors: narcotics trafficking from South America, smuggling of illegal aliens into Europe, about $1 billion a year in illegal fishing, and pollution that threatens the coast and the local food supply, among them.
"We're looking at building the capacity and capability of the nations down there to secure the maritime domain to address these destabilizing activities," Rowden said. Maritime security is critical for the region to benefit from its natural resources and prosper economically, he said. Africa provides almost 15 percent of the United States' oil supply, much of which comes from the Gulf of Guinea. In addition, the region is rich in timber, iron ore, copper and other resources.
"Our goal is to ensure a more stable maritime environment to ensure their ability to get those resources to market," Rowden said. The focus is on helping African nations increase their naval capabilities, with help from the United States, he said.
Toward that end, the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land recently wrapped up a three-month deployment to the region, where its crew conducted a series of security cooperation activities. The deployment included port visits to Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Ghana, Angola, and the Republic of the Congo.
U.S. Navy training teams helped their West African counterparts increase their capabilities in damage control and ship maintenance. They provided survey teams to help develop more accurate navigational charts. They also helped the African navies build leadership within the ranks and strengthen their noncommissioned officer corps.
Meanwhile, U.S. Navy leaders met with senior navy leaders from more than 20 African countries in Nigeria during the late May Seapower for Africa Symposium to encourage them to work cooperatively to promote regional security. "No single country can do it alone, including my own," Adm. Henry G. "Harry" Ulrich III, commander of Naval Forces Europe, which has operational control of operations in most of Africa, told the group.
The USS Land's deployment and maritime symposium were the latest in a series of engagements that Rowden said are building important new relationships in the Gulf of Guinea. "One of the important things we need to realize about operating in Africa is that the personal relationships are absolutely vital in order to be able to begin to understand how we can best assist them in building that maritime capacity and capability," he said.
The African sailors have "tremendously" received the U.S. sailors, Rowden said. "There's no better ambassador for the United States of America than the sailor of the United States Navy," he said. "I was absolutely blown away by their ability to go out and make friends and the willingness on their part to give."
Speaking of Maritimers, one thing about being from a teeny tiny town in a teeny tiny province is having a "maritime mother." Everyone who hails from "out east" knows exactly what I'm talking about. Now there is no exact definition of a maritime mother, but to mimic the style of Jeff Foxworthy (you might be a redneck) I've composed a short list.
You might be a "maritime mother" if........
- you think your daughter should wear an alarm around her neck when walking in broad daylight
- you think that standing on the corner at 6:00 p.m. is "dangerous"
- you pull the bus stop signal in awe, exclaiming "whats this?"
- when asked where your daughter lives, you simply exclaim "across the street from THE library"
- you tell your daughter to lock her doors when driving in Scarborough
That's all that I can think of right now, does anyone have some to add?