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Africa Partnership Station Returns to Ghana

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080206-14
Release Date: 2/6/2008 2:44:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW/SW) RJ Stratchko, Africa Partnership Station Public Affairs

SEKONDI, Ghana (NNS) -- Africa Partnership Stations (APS) returned recently to Ghana bringing more training during its maiden deployment, aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43).

This is APS's fifth visit to Ghana in an international effort to support and strengthen regional maritime safety and security in West and Central Africa. On board are Sailors from West and Central Africa, Europe and the United States.

"What we are doing here is similar to what we are trying to do in other parts of this region; each of these countries has a vested interest in being able to control the water around their countries. Both in their territorial waters and their exclusive economic zones," said Cmdr. Art Gibb, APS Theater Security Cooperation coordinator. "There are other people making illegal use of the waters by stealing the Ghanaians' fish, running contraband or smuggling people; these are depriving the nations in this region of the resources that belong to the Ghanaians. These resources could be providing stability and progress ashore, economic prosperity that the governments could be using to help the Ghanaians."

Although the Navy has conducted training during routine deployments in West Africa for years, the size and focus of the APS mission is new and different.

"We will teach courses ranging from officer and non-commissioned officer leadership, small boat operations, small boat mechanics, basic medical training, damage control, to logistics, supply systems and process training," said Gibb.

In addition to training, APS is scheduled to be performing community relation projects to try and build partnerships with the local community.

"We are going to be doing some minor repairs to an orphanage funded by the non-governmental organization Orphans Cry International, by painting, creating window screens, general wiring and carpentry work," said Lt. Elizabeth Durika of Fairfax, Va., a Civil Engineer Corps officer assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40 based in Port Hueneme, Calif. "What makes the community relations for APS unique is that there are U.S. Navy Seabees aboard Fort McHenry. The skilled labor provided by construction electricians, a builder, construction mechanics, and a utilitiesman really increase the effectiveness of [these projects]."

APS is one in a series of activities designed to build maritime safety and security in Africa in a comprehensive and collaborative manner, focusing first on the Gulf of Guinea. The training is designed to ensure that maritime safety and security will contribute to economical development ashore.

"Our long term goal is to help create the capability and capacities that will allow the countries to protect and control their waters. The real important aspect of this is that no one country can do this alone. There has to be a regional cooperation and collaboration that starts at the national level with building national capabilities to push out into their waters and control them, and then to work together with their neighbors to help control their waters as well," said Gibb.

APS seeks to take partnerships into action in a concerted interagency and multinational effort to promote maritime governance around Africa. APS is inspired by the belief that effective maritime safety and security will contribute to development, economic prosperity, and security ashore.

As part of the Navy's new global maritime strategy, APS is a U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led initiative, executed by a multi-national staff aboard Fort McHenry and High Speed Vessel 2 Swift.

Commander Task Group 365 and training teams from various U.S. and European military commands, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations are embarked on board Fort McHenry to enhance cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services in West and Central Africa and the Gulf of Guinea on a seven-month deployment.

For more news from Africa Partnership Station or USS Fort McHenry, visit www.navy.mil/local/lsd43/.