By Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates, deputy to the commander for civil-military activities
U.S. AFRICOM Public Affairs  Print     Share  

SEKONDI, Ghana, 

Mar 2, 2009 — Speaking to more than 75 West African sailors and government officials from more than a dozen nations, U.S. Africa Command's civilian deputy said illegal narcotics trafficking, illegal fishing and other criminal activities are an important part of maritime security.

The following a transcript of Yates' remarks to Africa Partnership Station sailors:

AMBASSADOR MARY CARLIN YATES: (In progress) This is such a wonderful opportunity to be here and I thank the commodore and captain for giving me this chance.

Let's see, I can say good morning, bonjour, buen dia, aquaba (sp), you are welcome. After that, I think I've run out, but I'm sure I haven't gotten all of your languages. First and foremost, I want to bring you greetings from General William "Kip" Ward, the four-star commander of the Africa Command. He is a wonderful leader of all of us and I feel honored and privileged to serve him as a deputy.

He is the person in charge of -- at the headquarters of all [U.S.] military-to-military engagement in Africa and I have become a true believer in the Africa Command because of exactly what you are doing on the Africa Partnership Station. It is the embodiment of what our mission statement at the Africa Command represents. There are three words in the mission statement that are critical and that's "sustained security engagement" because before, when we had the Central Command, the Pacific Command and the European Command, I think we could characterize our engagement as episodic. But now we want to come and be partners with the African nations, working to build their security and stability in a sustained manner, not so episodic.

But we can talk those words -- and I've been doing that for two years in this job -- but until you see it as on the USS Nashville, this is the absolute reality of the sustained security engagement and it is interagency, it is international and I believe we're all learning from what you're doing.

That commodore was explaining to me last night that you are building on last year's APS. And next year the folks will have yet a different experience. I also have come this morning to see the training that is going on because you who have been selected to be here are the leaders of your nations and you will go back into your maritime organizations, into your fisheries organizations, into your interior ministries and work to build the maritime strategy, the maritime planning to keep your shores and your people safer.

I did -- (inaudible)-- topics. When I left Ghana in 2005, the narcotics trafficking was become a bigger problem. I am now shocked at how big a problem it has become. There are -- it's a billion-dollar industry and it is going to do no good for the people of West Africa. This trip will take me and my team -- we were in Cape Verde, we are in Ghana, we will go to Senegal with a short stop in Sierra Leone and to Guinea-Bissau [Note: Trip itinerary changed due to political situation in Guinea-Bissau]. The focus of the trip is to look at the illegal trafficking, the illicit trafficking in people, in narcotics, also the illegal fishing. And I think the illegal fishing is equally important because it takes away from the economic prosperity of the people of the nations.

I think I remember or read a statistic that about 60 percent of the animal protein that Ghanaians eat comes from fish. So if the fish get depleted or greatly diminished, you are taking away the ability for your people to be sustained. So I can't underscore enough how important what you are doing -- how important it is for your nation. And we need to listen and learn from each of you, certainly from all of the African nations represented, but also I am aware there is a Brazilian onboard and several people from Mozambique. I was in Mozambique in December and I listened to the maritime problems that are going on in Mozambique -- and the coastline longer than California with just four small ships to try and protect a coastline like that. The narcotics are flowing from Pakistan into Mozambique down to South Africa to Europe. So we are hoping in the future at the Africa Command that we can have an African Partnership Station on the east coast of Africa as well.

I would also say to the Brazilian colleague on board, I have just come from a two-day meeting in Miami last week, and the Southern Command and the Africa Command want to work together to where the ocean, the Atlantic (inaudible), the seam line between the two commands. The narcotics traffickers are coming from Latin America. So we must work in both a law enforcement and military camaraderie between our two commands and then with our African and South American partners to address these issues.

I think I will close by saying to you that you are the most important people because you are the leaders your nations have selected and you come to get training and to share your experience. General Ward sends me out to listen to Africans so I can come back and share the ideas with others in the command.

Oh, I forgot one thing. Who are the Cape Verdeans here? Who is from Cape Verde? You are? Well, two days ago, I was having a meeting with Colonel Pereira (sp?) and he said to tell you to make sure you stay in shape.

So, just in closing, I want to thank all of you for being part of the Africa Partnership Station. You are setting a model of what we need to be doing in this world: to work together as partners. And, again, I bring you General Ward's warmest greetings. He wishes he were here himself. Thank you very much.

(Applause.)

(END)