Mauritius hosted Cutlass Express 2017, a 9-day military training exercise designed to improve cooperation, coordination, and collaboration among 250 participants from 14 partner nations to increase maritime safety and security within the Indian Ocean and off the coast of Africa. Sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and conducted by U.S. Naval Forces Africa NAVAF) in partnership with the Government of Mauritius and the U.S. Embassy Port Louis, this large-scale exercise provides an opportunity for maritime forces from western Indian Ocean nations, East Africa, Europe and the U.S. to work side-by-side to better synchronize maritime security operations for potential real world scenarios.
