USCG, Nigeria to Engage in Maritime Training

A small team of U.S. Coast Guardsmen joined forces with Marine Corps 1st Lt. Brian Elender, from SPMAGTF Crisis Response-Africa, to work alongside service members of the Nigerian Navy for a training engagement that will began in December.

Illicit and uncontrolled activities, including trafficking, piracy, and illegal and unregulated fishing are a few of the security challenges Africa faces on the maritime front.

Maritime readiness and security begins at the lowest level, with maintenance to ensure equipment is ready for conducting operations.

Elender, a Florence, S.C., native, said:

By training with our Nigerian partners, we hope to enhance maintenance-based tactics, techniques, and procedures which will help sustain the equipment needed for maritime security while also enhancing interoperability between our militaries.

This training engagement will cover basic maintenance, electrical and mechanical skills, and general troubleshooting for small boat engines; the service members will share knowledge of these topics to build operational capacity between the two forces.

Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen with SPMAGTF-CR-AF conduct theater security cooperation through military-to-military engagements to assist partner nations in addressing security challenges.

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Press release, Image: USCG