Mauritius: In order to enhance maritime security awareness in the region, Mauritius is presently in the process of setting up the National Maritime Information Sharing Centre. It aims at collecting and disseminating actionable information to regional and international partners so as to combat piracy, drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal fishing, and other maritime crimes.
The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, made this statement today during the opening ceremony of the 13th edition of Exercise Cutlass Express, sponsored by the United States (U.S.) Africa Command (AFRICOM) and conducted by the U.S. Naval Forces Africa at the Coast Guard Training School in Le Chaland.
The U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Henry V. Jardine, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Anil Kumar Dip, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, and other personalities were also present on this occasion.
In his address, Prime Minister Jugnauth recalled that this event, held on a regular basis since 2011, is a joint multinational exercise and that through the last decade, this exercise enabled the U.S. Naval Force, the Mauritian National Coast Guard and other maritime forces to collaborate closely so as to strengthen their capacity and capability to ensure maritime security.
Mauritius underlined the Prime Minister had been an active participant in such regional and bilateral endeavours, which help foster maritime security and share real-time information for timely warning and response to potential maritime security threats in the region. He also expressed conviction that this training exercise will upgrade the skills of all participants from various coast guards and navies.
Furthermore, he remarked that the reliance on the ocean for trade and commerce shows that the future of humanity is greatly dependent on the safety and security of the seas. As such, it is imperative to strengthen safety and security at sea through collaborative and cooperative approaches, and concrete joint interventions such as the Exercise Cutlass Express, he added.
As for Ambassador Jardine, he underscored that this exercise reflects the growing security partnership between Mauritius and USA and is an important step in a strong relationship rooted in both countries’ common values and heritage. He also expressed hope to focus his efforts on further strengthening the Mauritius-USA relationship in the area of maritime security.
Exercise Cutlass Express is AFRICOM’s largest naval training exercise in the Indian Ocean. It is a multinational maritime exercise designed to assess and improve combined maritime law enforcement capacity, promote national and regional security, and bring together U.S. forces and East African nations, Western Indian Ocean nations, and other international partners to share their expertise and experience.
It aims to improve regional cooperation in support of the Djibouti Code of Conduct, maritime domain awareness, increase tactical proficiency of participating nations to counter illicit trafficking and maritime smuggling, promote information sharing and overall cooperation among participating nations, enhance maritime security and sustain freedom of navigation and global commerce in this vital region.
This year’s exercise will last for 12 days from 06 to 17 March 2023, and will include an in-port preparatory phase, followed by six days of at-sea scenarios in the Western Indian Ocean. The 14 countries participating in this year’s Exercise Cutlass Express for the East Africa region include Mauritius, Seychelles, Canada, Comoros, Djibouti, Georgia, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, United Kingdom, and the USA. A total of 320 representatives from 14 countries, including 65 from Mauritius, are participating in the exercise.