By Lieutenant (Navy) Linda Coleman
It wasn't a routine international tasking for four Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) sailors from Maritime Forces Atlantic.
Dressed in desert combats, Lieutenant-Commander Paul Smith, Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Dale Yerardi, Lieutenant (Navy) Ted Marr and Lt(N) Linda Coleman participated in CUTLASS EXPRESS 2018 (CE18), a U.S. Naval Forces Africa-led engagement designed to assist in improving maritime law enforcement capacity, and promote national and regional security in Eastern Africa.
Leaving Halifax in late January, the sailors travelled halfway around the world to South East Africa with LCdr Smith and Lt(N) Coleman arriving in Maputo, Mozambique, and CPO2 Yerardi and Lt(N) Marr arriving in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
LCdr Smith, senior RCN assessor for CE18, was the Task Force Commander during Her Majesty's Canadian Ships Summerside and Moncton's deployment to Western Africa last year. Their mission was to foster relationships and maritime security capacity building in the Gulf of Guinea region, as well as participate in Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS.
“I'm honoured to be back in Africa with the RCN, continuing the great work we started last year in West Africa,” said LCdr Smith.
The RCN's contribution to CE18 this year included strategic engagements with Mozambique and Tanzania to promote maritime security capacity building at the Tanzania and Mozambique Maritime Operations Centres (MOC). Sent as advisors, the RCN members…
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