East Africa Hosts Dynamic Launch of Exercise Cutlass Express 2025

Exercise Cutlass Express 2025, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Africa Command and facilitated by the U.S. 6th Fleet, is set to unite over 20 international partners for a robust two-week training event. The central focus is fostering cooperative maritime security operations within the region.

Throughout this intensive exercise, U.S. forces will engage with participating nations to bolster maritime domain awareness. This initiative aims to enhance international law enforcement capabilities and improve interoperability between the U.S., African nations, and other partner navies and coast guards.

Vice Adm. J. T. Anderson, the commander of U.S. 6th Fleet, emphasized, “Cutlass Express provides an excellent opportunity to collaborate on maritime security with our African partners. By combining partnership strengths and high-level training, we enhance security and economic prosperity far beyond the maritime boundaries and economic zones of individual nations.”

The 2025 exercise will concentrate its training efforts in Mauritius, Seychelles, and Tanzania. However, it will also involve coordination across nine maritime operation centers throughout the region. Additionally, Exercise Cutlass Express 2025 will connect with the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s International Maritime Exercise 2025. This linkage through information sharing is designed to improve regional coordination, diminish operational gaps, and reinforce the capabilities and interoperability of the U.S. and partner nations.

Simultaneously, Exercise Cutlass Express 2025 will run alongside the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa-led exercise, Justified Accord 2025, in Kenya and Tanzania. This aims to enhance multi-domain defense capabilities and refine crisis and counterterrorism responses, ultimately mitigating global maritime threats.

This year’s Cutlass Express participants include Belgium, Comoros, Djibouti, France, Georgia, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom.

Cutlass Express is a key component of the U.S. 6th Fleet’s strategy to provide collaborative opportunities addressing maritime security concerns. It represents one of three regional maritime exercises led by the Fleet.

Operating out of Naples, Italy, the U.S. 6th Fleet conducts a range of joint and naval operations, frequently in collaboration with allied and interagency partners, to further U.S. national interests, security, and stability in Europe and Africa.