The specters of terrorism, piracy and smuggling loomed as more than 1,000 participants from 20 nations trained to conduct multinational maritime security operations in the Western Indian Ocean during the 15th iteration of Exercise Cutlass Express.
The East African exercise, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command and facilitated by the U.S. 6th Fleet, was held February 10-21, 2025, in Mauritius, the Seychelles and Tanzania.
Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Mhona, chief of Training and Combat Readiness for the Tanzania People’s Defence Force, said the event emphasized the need for regional, continental and international collaboration.
“When we talk about terrorism, human trafficking and cybercrime, these are global issues,” he said during the closing ceremony. “Since we share similar challenges, it is imperative that we tackle them together. However, effective collaboration is only possible if we train together. Interoperability is a fundamental aspect of our preparedness.”
Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, Somalia and Tunisia were among the other participating African nations.
Two national maritime operation centers in Tanzania took part in drills to collaborate on scenarios linked to visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) training in Tanga.
In the Seychelles, a weeklong rule of law course helped participants share and refine tactics for interdiction operations and for holding offenders accountable for crimes at sea.
Exercise Cutlass Express 2025 linked up with Exercise Justified Accord, which also took place in Tanzania, to improve coordination between land- and sea-based operations.
“This exercise was important for fostering cooperation to address global security challenges,” Mhona said. “[It] was designed to involve multiple nations because the challenges we face in Africa are the same as those encountered in other parts of the world.”
Seychelles Defence Forces Lance Cpl. Kenny Vidot relished his role as a VBSS instructor in Tanzania. He said 12 of his Seychellois colleagues participated in the same exercise in Mauritius.
“[We are] training to support collaborative maritime security operations in the region,” he said. “This exercise is important for us to increase maritime capabilities and to promote regional cooperation in the Indian Ocean.”