Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. The Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has on Monday August 1, 2022 visited the U.S. Coastguard Cutter (USCGC) Mohawk vessel at the Queen Elizabeth Quay Cline Town Freetown.
The visit of the vessel is part of existing bilateral cooperation between the governments of United States of America and Sierra Leone regarding maritime support and capacity building to effectively guard the coast and maritime borders and resources of Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone’s Vice President and the US Ambassador, David Reimer along with senior military leaders toured the Coastguard Cutter Mohawk which is expected to be in Freetown for the next few days.
During the port visit, the crew of the Mohawk was expected to partner with the Sierra Leone Maritime Wing on joint operations at sea, as part of the U.S.-Sierra Leone joint operations and training to support a common goal of ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation at sea.
Mohawk was to also embark on a joint mission with officers from Sierra Leone’s Joint Maritime Committee’s (JMC) Joint Operations Center (JOC) and Ministry of Fisheries to protect Sierra Leonean waters.
“The U.S. Embassy is proud to welcome the USCGC Mohawk to Freetown this week,” the U.S Ambassador David Reimer is quoted on the Embassy’s Facebook page. “Supporting our partners in maritime security is a vital U.S. policy priority. Cooperation on maritime security ensures not only safer and more secure oceans, but also helps safeguards Sierra Leone’s endangered marine biospheres, necessary for food security and the protection of the environment for future generations.”
“My crew and I are excited to be in Freetown,” said Cmdr. Andrew Pate, commanding officer of Mohawk. “One of our primary objectives during this deployment is to enhance partner nations’ capacity to operate effectively in the maritime domain and promote targeted, effective, intelligence-driven enforcement operations.”
On it Facebook page, US Embassy acknowledges the historic working relationship between the two countries to promote peace, stability, and security in Africa. In March, the Embassy said Sierra Leone participated in exercise Obangame Express 2022, the largest annual maritime security exercise in Western Africa. These types of exercises strengthen partnerships and allow countries to work more closely on transnational maritime challenges.
“Welcome to Freetown U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk! We’re excited to welcome another ship to the port this week,” the Embassy wrote.
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