Mauritius Police Force and National Coast Guard Police Sgt. Thomas Shane climbs a hook ladder for visit, board, search and seizure training during Exercise Cutlass Express 2025 (CE25) in Port Louis, Mauritius, on February 12, 2025. The event is one of three regional Express series exercises sponsored by U.S. Africa Command. The exercises provide collaborative opportunities for African nation security forces and international partners to address maritime security concerns. CE25 focused training in Mauritius, Seychelles and Tanzania, but information sharing and coordination took place across nine maritime operation centers throughout the region. Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean, doesn’t have a land force or navy. Instead, its National Coast Guard is a specialized branch of the Police Force tasked with securing the nation’s 1.8 million-square-kilometer exclusive economic zone. It’s a tall order for such a small nation but vital to protect its economic interests, such as fishing and mineral rights, while preventing the transshipment of heroin from South Asia.
PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS JACOB VAN AMBURG/U.S. NAVY