Armada Launches Phase Two of Exercise Phoenix Express 2024

The at-sea phase of Phoenix Express 24 has commenced, marking a significant step in a major multinational maritime exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. This phase focuses on enhancing the capabilities of participating vessels and maritime operation centers (MOCs) to execute maritime security operations like ship boarding, airborne maritime patrols, and search and rescue exercises effectively.

“The second week of Phoenix Express is our opportunity to put into practice everything that was learned during the first week of the exercise,” stated Capt. Harish Patel, the U.S. exercise director for Phoenix Express. “This phase is critical to this exercise as it provides an opportunity for U.S. and participating nations’ ships to enhance their ship-to-shore communications across multinational MOCs.”

Among the allied and partner ships partaking are the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, Moroccan Frigate Sultan Moulay Ismail, Italian OPV Spica, and vessels from the Libyan, Algerian, Tunisian, and Turkish navies, among others.

Commodore Nejib Ben Saada, the Tunisian exercise director for Phoenix Express, remarked, “The at sea portion of this exercise is the time to further enhance interoperability and improve ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communications across participating nations.” Coordination among 12 nations during this phase presents challenges, yet offers an opportunity to strengthen communication lines.

The at-sea events challenge the ships and crews and offer a rare opportunity for multinational MOCs to perform communication drills. Sharing information helps enhance multinational cooperation, allowing MOCs to convey a unified operational picture to tactical units at sea.

Phoenix Express provides North African, European, and U.S. maritime forces the chance to collaborate, share knowledge, and fine-tune tactics and procedures to bolster maritime security in the Mediterranean Sea. The exercise plays a critical role in enhancing joint efforts to deter illicit sea activities and protect NATO’s and Europe’s southern periphery.

Nations participating include Algeria, Belgium, Georgia, Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Türkiye, Senegal, and the United States.

Phoenix Express is part of three regional maritime exercises directed by U.S. Naval Forces Africa, aiming to foster collaborative opportunities with African and international partners to address maritime security challenges.

Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, based in Naples, Italy, leads a broad range of joint and naval operations alongside allied and interagency partners to uphold U.S. national interests, and ensure security and stability across Europe and Africa.