CASABLANCA, Morocco –
Phoenix Express, one of three regional Express Series exercises facilitated by U.S. Naval Forces Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet is scheduled to begin March 25, 2019 in Casablanca, Morocco and throughout the Mediterranean Sea.
The 15th iteration of this multinational exercise will run through April 6 and will focus on improving regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information-sharing practices, and operational capabilities in order to enhance efforts to promote safety and security in the Mediterranean Sea and territorial waters of participating North African nations.
This year’s exercise control group will be hosted at the Royal Moroccan Naval Simulation and Training Center in Casablanca, Morocco. The at-sea portion of the exercise will test North African, European, and U.S. maritime forces’ abilities to respond to irregular migration and combat illicit trafficking and the movement of illegal goods and materials.
Nations scheduled to participate in Phoenix Express 2019 include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Netherlands, Spain, Tunisia, United Kingdom and the United States.
Exercise Phoenix Express is one of three U.S. Naval Forces Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet-facilitated regional exercises part of a comprehensive strategy to provide collaborative opportunities amongst African forces and international partners that addresses maritime security concerns.