Tunisian Navy Exercises with U.S. Military Sealift Command

The USS Hershel “Woody” Williams and Tunisian Navy partners conducted joint maritime operations to enhance maritime security, critical lifesaving capabilities, force readiness, and Tunisia’s ability to protect its maritime borders between 23 and 24 November.

The Hershel “Woody” Williams participated in a simulation of suspicious merchant activity that enabled partners at the Tunisian Regional Operation Centres to exercise their radar capabilities, US Africa Command (Africom) said. The navy ship also participated in a naval exercise with the Tunisian Navy focused on developing both nations’ ability to conduct maritime security operations in the Mediterranean, as well as conduct joint search and rescue operations.

“We greatly value this opportunity to exercise these critical capabilities with our Tunisian partners,” said Donald Blome, US Ambassador to Tunisia. “Working together with the Tunisian Navy offers both of our countries the opportunity to learn from one another, advancing our shared security goals in the southern Mediterranean.”

US forces worked with Tunisian partners on a search-and-rescue exercise, while US Special Forces conducted simulations to bolster counterterrorism capabilities, perform critical lifesaving tasks, and improve cooperation between US and Tunisian forces.

Demonstrating a shared commitment to enhance critical lifesaving capabilities in a COVID-19 degraded environment, all missions were conducted with respect for protocols protecting both US and Tunisian forces against the spread of the virus, Africom said.

Hershel “Woody” Williams is homeported in Souda Bay, Greece, and conducts US Africa Command missions in the Mediterranean and the waters around East, South, and West Africa to include the southern Mediterranean, operating with regional partners. The ship supports security cooperation missions and operations in and around the African continent.

This article was published on defenceWeb on November 25, 2020.