AFRICOM and Norwegian Military Leaders Strengthen Maritime Security Cooperation in Africa

A delegation from U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) concluded a series of meetings with Norwegian military and civilian officials in Oslo, March 18-20, addressing maritime challenges that threaten international security interests and stability in Africa.

“This visit underscores the important, longstanding relationship between our two nations’ militaries and sets the stage for new areas of cooperation with Norway in the future."

By U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs , United States Africa Command Stuttgart, Germany Mar 25, 2025

View Gallery

Gallery contains 2 images

A delegation from U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) concluded a series of meetings with Norwegian military and civilian officials in Oslo, March 18-20, addressing maritime challenges that threaten international security interests and stability in Africa.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Brennan, AFRICOM’s Deputy Commander, and U.S. Ambassador Robert Scott, AFRICOM’s Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Engagement, engaged in discussions with Maj. Gen. Gjert Lage Dyndal, Deputy Commander of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, and Maj. Gen. Joar Eidheim, Commander of Norwegian Special Operations Command. The delegation was also hosted by Norway’s Ministries of Defence and Trade,

Industry and Fisheries, as well as the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. “Our discussions with Norwegian leaders and industry experts reinforced the critical need for collaborative maritime security efforts in Africa,” said Brennan. “By working together with African partner forces to bolster their capacity, improve information sharing, and develop coordinated security strategies, we can effectively counter threats, ensure freedom of navigation, and foster mutual security interests in the region.

“This visit underscores the important, longstanding relationship between our two nations’ militaries and sets the stage for new areas of cooperation with Norway in the future."

Meetings focused on shared security priorities and strengthening joint efforts to counter maritime and violent extremist threats in Africa. Topics included:

enhancing African partner capacity so nations can act as regional security leaders,
improving information sharing and coordination to better identify, track and hold accountable, vessels engaged in criminal activities, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,
developing coordinated strategies to successfully counter violent extremists, and
contingency planning and challenges faced by commercial ships operating near Africa.

“Combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is not just about protecting marine resources, it’s also about safeguarding economic prosperity and stability for African nations and the international community,” said Scott. “Our partnership with Norway is critical in strengthening maritime governance and empowering African partners to effectively manage their own waters.”

This visit underscores the enduring partnership between the United States’ and Norway’s militaries and highlights a shared commitment to a free and rules-based maritime order, ensuring secure sea lines of communication and safeguarding freedom of navigation in accordance with international law.

U.S. Africa Command is one of 11 U.S. Department of Defense combatant commands, with an area of responsibility covering 53 African nations, encompassing vast natural resources, a land mass three-and-a-half times the size of the U.S., and nearly 19,000 miles of coastland. Working alongside African and international partners, AFRICOM counters transnational threats, strengthens security forces, and responds to crises to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional security, stability, and prosperity.

U.S. Forces Strike ISIS-Somalia

AFRICOM, U.S. Embassy Libya Discuss Security Cooperation with Libyan Leaders

AFRICOM Commander Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Algerian Ministry of National Defense

AFRICOM commander, Langley, key leaders visit eastern Africa

Langley expands campaign of learning footprint to west Africa

Department of Defense

Special Operations Command

Special Operations

violent extremists

maritime security

Counter Violent Extremists

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

NAIROBI, Kenya – Imagine two scenarios. Scenario 1: Dawn breaks over the capital of Kenya. A U.S. diplomat leaves his residence for the embassy. After a 20-minute ride, his car arrives at the gate and he enters. He sits in his office to begin the day when, all of a sudden, he hears an explosion through the open window. It seems far off; it is not a large explosion. He thinks maybe it was just a car accident, but minutes later he smells something bitter in the air. His eyes water, sirens blare and a U.S. Marine Corps security detail enters his office wearing gas masks. They put a mask on him and tell him they must evacuate immediately because a deadly chemical is blowing over the compound. Scenario 2: U.S. intelligence receives credible information that radiological material is being loaded onto a ship in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Time is short and no one knows which ship, only that it will embark soon, possibly bound for the hands of violent extremists or other state actors looking to imperil the U.S. homeland. There is no time to send U.S. security forces to intercept the package. Instead, the Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) mobilizes and arrives at the port. Using tactics and tools gained from years of training with the United States, they find the ship and the weapon, placed there by a violent extremist organization, and prevent its departure, defeating the threat to America and its citizens. Similar scenarios have happened before in other areas of the world.

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Belgian Ministry of Defence, in partnership with U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and U.S. Indo Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Chaplain Directorates, hosted the world’s largest annual meeting of senior military religious leaders at the 36th Annual NATO & Partner International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference (IMCCC) in Brussels, Belgium, January 27-31, 2025.

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

United States Africa Command

AFRICOM and Norwegian Military Leaders Strengthen Maritime Security Cooperation in Africa

A delegation from U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) concluded a series of meetings with Norwegian military and civilian officials in Oslo, March 18-20, addressing maritime challenges that threaten international security interests and stability in Africa.

DCOM AFRICOM

DCOM AFRICOM2