Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Hermesmann, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, spoke by phone with Rear Adm. Oumar Wade, chief of the Senegalese Navy, June 22.
Hermesmann congratulated Wade on his recent appointment to his current post and noted Senegal’s contributions to regional security through troop deployments for peacekeeping missions, multilateral patrols of the Gulf of Guinea and active participation in U.S. exercises throughout Africa.
The two leaders affirmed the importance of the mutually beneficial U.S.-Senegal partnership and their unwavering dedication to the strong relationship between the U.S. Marine Corps and Senegal’s Compagnie Fusilier de Marin Commando (COFUMACO). Wade expressed appreciation for the near 10-year relationship between the COFUMACO and U.S. Marine Corps units deployed to Africa for training and operations.
Both leaders pledged to seek out new opportunities for cooperation, support regional stability by strengthening the professionalism and capabilities of the region’s naval and amphibious forces, and develop a forum for naval infantries in Africa to discuss their roles in regional maritime security.