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Africa Partnership Station Aboard HSV 2 Swift Visits Cameroon
DOUALA, CAMEROON – Swift (HSV 2), a U.S. Navy high speed vessel, arrives in Douala, Sunday, February 10, 2008, to conduct a seven day visit as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS). The APS will donate to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, the World Food Program and Catholic Relief Services humanitarian relief efforts for Chadian refugees in Cameroon. The donation consists of food, basic medicines and personal hygiene materials, estimated at a value of $30,000. The visit also consists of a community relations project (COMREL) at a local hospital to include painting and minor electrical and plumbing work, soccer game, all to foster relations between the United States and Cameroon.
Swift is currently deployed to West and Central Africa, doing similar training and humanitarian visits up and down the coast. Among the other countries to participate in this training initiative are Togo, Ghana, Gabon, Nigeria, Benin, Liberia and Angola. The training will address maritime security threats, such as piracy, unlawful fishing, illegal drug and arms trafficking, oil smuggling and illegal immigration, all of which can compromise peace and stability in the region and make Cameroon vulnerable to terrorist networks. This new training initiative seeks to train partnering nations by starting with the fundamentals, and gradually building upon the skills and concepts with each ship visit. In order to effectively accomplish this objective, the U.S. Navy expects to visit each partnering nation several times each year.
The visit of HSV Swift was organized as part of the APS program. APS is an example of U.S. cooperative security assistance to support African nations in building the capacity to manage their own security. Cooperative security assistance is the focus of the recently created U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).
CDR Charles W. Rock is the Commanding Officer of HSV Swift, and he is accompanied by a crew of approximately 50 Sailors. HSV Swift is based in Ingleside, Texas (Gulf of Mexico in the United States).
For further information, please contact the Information Section of the U.S. Embassy, Yaoundé, Tel 22-20-15-00, x4162 or x4273.
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