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USNS Spearhead Participates in Exercise Obangame Express

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS140423-16
Release Date: 4/23/2014 2:08:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Justin R. DiNiro, Spearhead Public Affairs

GULF OF GUINEA (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's first-in-class joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) participated in exercise Obangame Express alongside European, Atlantic, and African partners in the Gulf of Guinea April 16-21.

Obangame Express is a U.S. Africa Command-sponsored multinational maritime exercise designed to improve cooperation, interdiction expertise and information sharing among West and Central African maritime forces in order to increase maritime safety and security in the region.

Spearhead, a joint, high-speed vessel designed for rapid intra-theater transportation, has the capability to conduct a wide range of missions. During Obangame Express, the ship served as a simulated suspect vessel boarded by partner nation boarding teams for counter-piracy scenarios.

'It was a great experience for Spearhead to be able to contribute to Obangame Express the way we did,' said Capt. Marc Lederer, Africa Partnership Station mission commander and military officer-in-charge aboard Spearhead. 'We all play a huge role in the capacity building of maritime interdictions for participating nations, and as a simulated suspect vessel, we allowed these maritime operators to strengthen their techniques and gain real world experience.'

Exercise participants working aboard Spearhead included military personnel from U.S. Naval Special Warfare Unit 10, the Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces, Nigerian Special Boat Services and Cameroon Battalion Brigade D'Intervention Rapid.

The participating military personnel practiced boarding the vessel, room clearing techniques and ultimately, the arrest and apprehension of simulated suspected pirates role played by U.S. military personnel.

'As our partner nations build capability to enhance their ability to execute maritime security operations, it is only fitting that a U.S. platform like Spearhead can support these nations in the various missions and exercises,' said Capt. John Rinko, commander, Military Sealift Command Europe and Africa/commander, Task Force 63, who embarked Spearhead for the duration of the exercise. 'We strengthen regional cooperation with our partners through exercises like Obangame Express.'

African participants chose 'obangame' as the name for the exercise, which means 'togetherness' in Fang, a commonly spoken West African language, during the planning stages for the first Obangame Express. The name represents the teamwork of an assembly of nations coming together and working toward a stronger global maritime presence.

The objectives of the exercise are to increase maritime domain awareness and regional cooperation, and improve communications and information sharing through maritime security operations, all while reinforcing regional efforts to deter piracy and illicit trafficking.

'With the success of Obangame Express, I think these nations will leave with a stronger desire to conduct maritime security operations,' said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Rod Hooper, military detachment communications officer aboard Spearhead. 'Their dedication to the cause has been admirable, and these nations are intent on making these operations as successful as possible.'

Spearhead is on its maiden deployment supporting theater security cooperation efforts and the international collaborative capacity-building program, Africa Partnership Station, in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. Spearhead is scheduled to work with and visit more than 22 nations while traveling more than 15,000 nautical miles.