Vice Admiral Robert T. Moeller, U.S. Africa Command's deputy to the commander for military operations, spoke at the inaugural conference on Maritime Security at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, October 13, 2009.



Maritime Security Africa 2009 examined maritime surveillance, safety, and security issues from a pan-African perspective. The two-day conference brought together multinational maritime professionals -- including military, police, foreign, and intelligence services personnel, international relations experts, foreign service officials, diplomats, other government bodies, international organizations, vendors, and academics -- to share knowledge and discuss the latest developments.



Vice Admiral Johannes Mudimu, South African Navy chief, gave the opening address and encouraged all participants to learn from each another, network with their colleagues and peers, and take advantage of the half-day visit to the South African Fleet and Naval Base in Simon's Town.



Moeller discussed Maritime Security capacity building in West Africa with more than 150 top-level maritime professionals from all over the African continent, including Brigadier General Tsoku Khumalo, director of Air Transportation and Maritime Services, South African Air Force; Captain Frank Rooyen, Security Fellow, Emerging Powers, South African Institute of International Affairs; Captain Karl Otto, Executive Head, Center for Sea Watch and Response, South Africa; and Dr. Francois Vrey, Subject Chair, Military Strategy, Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University.



"The establishment of U.S. Africa Command was a clear recognition of the strategic importance of Africa," stated Moeller. "Essential to our mission statement is sustained security engagement."



He continued by saying that the challenges and threats facing Africa offer opportunities for us to work collectively to provide a safe maritime environment.



"Our desire is to work with as many countries and organizations as possible to foster maritime safety and security," stated Moeller. "We want to ensure we understand the needs, priorities and desires of our African partners. Our goal is to assist our African partners to develop the capabilities to patrol their own waters."



U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), one of six of the U.S. Department of Defense's regional military headquarters, has administrative responsibility for U.S. military support to U.S. government policy in Africa, to include military-to-military relationships with 53 African nations.