Ex. CUTLASS EXPRESS Begins

DND Press Release

Canadian Armed Forces members on Operation ARTEMIS are deploying to eastern Africa and island nations in the Indian Ocean as part of Exercise CUTLASS EXPRESS (CE) 17. CE 17 is taking place in Djibouti (Djibouti), Port Louis (Mauritius), Mombasa (Kenya) and Antsiranana (Madagascar), from January 30 to February 8, 2017.

CE 17, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command and conducted by Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF), aims to assess and improve international maritime law enforcement capacity, promote national and regional security in eastern Africa, inform planning and operations, and shape Security Force Assistance efforts. CAF personnel, along with their Australian team members comprise Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150). CTF 150 is the Combined Maritime Forces’ lead for this exercise.

CAF personnel will deploy in a variety of roles across the CE 17 locations. In addition, members of the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Mounted Police will also participate as advisors, mentors and subject matter experts to enhance CE 17 exercise scenarios with the goal of developing enduring capacity building in eastern African nearby island nations.