NAVAF, MARFORAF engineers kick off deployment to Ghana > United States Navy > News-Tales

Through the six month rotational deployment, Seabees from Commander, Process Drive (CTF) 68 assigned to Naval Cellular Building Battalion (NMCB) 11 and Marines from eighth Engineer Assist Battalion, Fight Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, will work alongside Ghanaian engineers to enhance the Ghanaian Navy’s functionality to conduct maritime coaching, interdiction, and safety operations of their territorial waters.

With assist from Royal Danish Protection forces, the joint and mixed crew can even make essential building builds or repairs to a cellular camp facility on the Ghana Navy Coaching command (NAVTRAC) in preparation for the NAVAF-led train Obangame Specific 2023 and the U.S. Particular Operations Command Africa-led train Flintlock.

A humanitarian civic motion undertaking on the Nutekpo District Meeting Elementary Faculty can even add three extra lecture rooms for the area people.

“The relationships and initiatives that these Seabees can be enterprise are a results of a number of years of coordination and arduous work,” stated Chief Warrant Officer Chris Vollmer, lead engineer for Navy Expeditionary Fight Forces Africa, Process Drive 68-NAVAF. “U.S. Navy and Marine Corps engineers not too long ago accomplished surveys and initiatives with the Ghanaian Navy at NAVTRAC to make this longer deployment potential.”

The Navy-Marine Corps crew has a protracted historical past of supporting expeditionary and humanitarian missions collectively. Naval Building Forces are skilled to construct and preserve expeditionary and everlasting buildings whereas Marine engineers are skilled primarily in fight engineering.

The abilities attained by the joint and mixed engineer crew embrace building planning and administration, embarkation to an austere location, catastrophe response, and vertical building. It should additionally improve small unit ways, management, whereas enhancing maritime safety functionality.

“Constructing readiness, relationships and interoperability are important for the joint engineer group,” stated Maj. Mitchell Spidel, Drive Engineer, MARFORAF. “The accomplishments of our joint engineer crew straight helps our trilateral maritime safety cooperation relationship with Ghana and Denmark.”

As a testomony to the energy of U.S.-Ghana bilateral cooperation, Ghana can even function the placement of a future enduring, rotational detachment of Seabees and Marines that will be capable of reply to regional maritime infrastructure initiatives within the Gulf of Guinea.  

“The Ghana Navy is a necessary and succesful associate in maritime safety for the Gulf of Guinea area” stated Cmdr. Michael Vallianos, Maritime Program Supervisor, Workplace of Safety Cooperation for U.S. Embassy Accra. “They’re an expert and succesful associate, and we’re grateful for his or her hospitality.”

The USA and Ghana share a proud historical past of selling peace and stability within the Southern Atlantic. Final month, Ghana hosted the joint-led U.S. and Danish Maritime Operations Planning Workshop (MOPW), which allowed junior officers from 14 African nations to trade operational planning experiences and plan real-world workouts. Moreover, in March, Ghana participated in train Obangame Specific 2022, the biggest annual maritime safety train in Western Africa. A majority of these workouts strengthen partnerships and permit international locations to work nearer on shared transnational maritime challenges.

The U.S. shares a standard curiosity with African associate nations in making certain safety, security, and freedom of navigation on the waters surrounding the continent, as a result of these waters are essential for Africa’s prosperity and entry to international markets.

Fight Logistics Regiment 27 supplies command and management, administration, communications, meals service, and providers to the Marine Logistics Group (MLG) and serves because the Logistics Fight Factor (LCE) headquarters for the MLG Ahead to allow sustained logistical assist to the Marine Expeditionary Drive (MEF). In addition they present the LCE for Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) to allow sustained tactical logistics in assist of the Marine Air Floor Process Drive.

The eighth Engineer Assist Battalion job organizes forces on the whole assist to the MEF offering mobility, counter mobility, survivability, basic engineering, and explosive ordnance disposal to make sure a maneuver and tempo benefit.

NMCB 11 is homeported in Gulfport, Mississippi, and ahead deployed to Rota, Spain, with particulars and detachments deployed throughout 5 combatant commander areas of accountability to offer an adaptive and scalable Naval Building Drive prepared and able to executing high quality building in fight or in assist of civic motion, humanitarian help, or catastrophe restoration.

CTF 68 instructions all Naval Expeditionary Forces in U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of accountability in direct assist of Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, and Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet Maritime and Theater Safety Cooperation (TSC) Methods and Maritime Assist Plans.

MARFORAF is chargeable for coordinating Marine Corps associated operations and workouts, to incorporate civil affairs and, when requested, army assist to humanitarian help.

For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has cast strategic relationships with our allies and companions, leveraging a basis of shared values to protect safety and stability. 

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces within the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of accountability. U.S. Sixth Fleet is completely assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces via the complete spectrum of joint and naval operations.