Boarding teams from five Gulf of Guinea countries are using the German navy frigate FGS Brandenburg (F215) to enhance their abilities to complete visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) operations during Exercise Obangame Express 2015, March 19-27.

After boarding the ship, the boarding teams are confronted with situations that require them to detain and question suspects, clear rooms and respond to medical emergencies in order to effectively demonstrate their capabilities to perform in potentially hostile shipboard environments.

Quote:
"Establishing a secure maritime environment requires more than just a single nation securing its waters - it requires regional and international cooperation to enhance information exchange and improve interoperability of our maritime assets, thereby, bringing to bear the collective capability of our maritime forces in establishing a secure maritime environment."
- Capt. John Rinko, officer in tactical command, Obangame Express 2015

"Boarding operations are very important in the Gulf of Guinea because recently we have had to deal with a number of security challenges. Boarding operations help us deal with or control some of these problems. The gulf is very large and is bordered by many nations. If we have cooperation with the Ghana navy working with other regional navies, it will help us secure a larger portion of the Gulf of Guinea.
- Lt. j.g. Yaw Achiaw Owusu-Danso, boarding team leader, Ghana navy

"No matter what language you speak, the way to train together in boarding operations follows the same concepts. You demonstrate something, and then you try to execute a drill based on it. No matter what level of ambition you have, or what standard operating procedures you have, you always benefit from training with each other.
- Lt. Cmdr. Julian Liese, boarding team commanding officer, German navy

Quick Facts:
* The German navy boarding team conducting the scenarios aboard the Brandenburg coordinates with each nation's participating maritime operations center to ensure communications and logistics relating to the scenario are adequately addressed before each boarding.

* During operations on the Brandenburg, each country's boarding team was observed by a joint German and American navy assessment team. Upon completion of one of the scenarios developed by the multinational exercise planners, each country's boarding team's performance is critiqued.

* The countries participating in boarding exercises aboard the Brandenburg are the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Benin.
o They are using the frigate as a platform for executing controlled scenarios that challenge them to successfully complete boarding operations related to the prevention and interdiction of illicit fishing and trafficking.

* The Ivory Coast performed the first boarding operations March 20. Boarding exercises will conclude March 26 after the Togo navy responds to an illicit trafficking scenario aboard Brandenburg.

* The Ghana navy began illicit trafficking training scenarios aboard Brandenburg alongside the German navy boarding team in Tema, Ghana prior to the start of Obangame Express.

* Obangame Express is a U.S. Africa Command-sponsored multinational maritime exercise designed to increase maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea.

Participating nations in Obangame Express 2015 include Angola, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Cote d, Cote d Brazil, Cameroon, Cote dan and American navy assessment team. related to the preventina, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Spain, Togo, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).


For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/.