Dar es Salaam. U.S. Special Operations Command Africa conducted a Joint Combined Exchange Training alongside the Tanzania People’s Defense Forces Marine Special Forces in Dar es Salaam that concluded on November 17, 2023.
A statement released Tuesday said that U.S. Naval Special Warfare forces assigned to SOCAFRICA completed the four-week exchange with their Tanzanian counterparts, highlighting special operations-focused training to bolster mil-to mil-interoperability.
During the JCETs’ duration, partner forces collaborated on various tactical skills, including visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS), synchronising greater maritime security efficiencies and cooperation.
U.S. Navy CAPT Scott Fentress, director of operations at SOCAFRICA, said in a statement that honing VBSS and other marine operational capabilities underscores “the critical significance” of enabling maritime security throughout vital waterways providing sustenance and strategic transit in East Africa.
“Our Tanzanian partners are skilled and diligent operators navigating complex environments on land and at sea,” he said. “Collectively through this JCET, we’ve not only enhanced our interoperability and operational capability, but we forged tighter bonds.”
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“It is through those bonds that we remain committed to an enduring relationship for a prosperous Tanzania,” Fentress added.
The U.S. maintains a 60-year partnership with Tanzania and, during that history, has conducted eight JCETs, including the first Civil Affairs JCET in 2022, a statement released Tuesday explained.
Incorporating civil affairs elements into the defense process complements the traditional military exchanges, broadening the scope of the security aperture.
Michael Battle, U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, said that the North American nation recognises the strides Tanzania has made in recent years to ensure security throughout the nation and with other African partners regionally, noting that the two countries’ relationship encompasses more than solely mil-to-mil engagements but strong diplomatic ties and presence.
“Tanzania has been a bastion of peace and stability,” Mr Battle said. “It is in our strategic interest, and it’s in our vested national interest as Americans to keep Tanzania stable because its stability represents a foundation in East Africa of governmental, constitutional and military stability, which allows us to have a better trading partner with the rest of the world.”
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The statement said that U.S. special operations forces continually seek cooperatively beneficial African-led, U.S. enabled engagements across the continent. Through the engagements, U.S. forces aim to strengthen their African partnerships to attain greater regional security.
The joint training concludes a few months after Tanzania and China concluded the 12-day ‘Transcend-2023’ China-Tanzania Marine Corps joint training, which counter-terrorism techniques and tactics in mixed groups.
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Members from the countries’ Marine Corps wrapped up the training on September 15, 2023, reports emerged Monday, with the closing ceremony taking place at an unnamed training centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital.
During the training, the Chinese and Tanzanian troops focused on overseas and maritime counter-terrorism, conducting joint training by means of seminars, group training, and mutual learning around subjects like special shooting skills, boat operations and team tactics.
