Navy Continues Training in Mayumba

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Navy Continues Training in Mayumba
Navy News | L.t. JG Megan Shutka | February 25, 2008

MAYUMBA, Gabon - Africa Partnership Station (APS) aboard High Speed Vessel 2 Swift arrived off the coast of Mayumba, Gabon, Feb. 25, marking the ship's fourth APS engagement.

One week earlier, Swift made a brief stop in Mayumba to disembark a team from Expeditionary Training Command (ETC), as well as representatives of the Navy's Meteorology and Oceanography community for training with the Gabonese Navy, Fisheries, National Parks, and Merchant Navy and the non-governmental organization (NGO) Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

"During the APS planning process, training needs in support of fisheries control and surveillance efforts at Mayumba National Park were identified by WCS," said Lt. Cmdr. Chuck Bell, a civil affairs planner from Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron 2, and the NGO activities coordinator for APS. "With the help of ETC, we were able to put together a training package to meet some of the needs of a variety of maritime security stakeholders here in Mayumba."

ETC is providing small boat handling, navigation and maintenance training to a diverse group.

"What makes this training unique is that it was facilitated by an NGO and includes not only a military training audience, but civilian maritime agencies with similar needs as well," Bell said.


Rest of Africom article at:http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,162820,00.html