US Defence Attaché Visits Navy, Pledges Support

United States Defence Attaché to Nigeria, Col Tom Brooks, at the weekend visited the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), West, Rear Admiral Michael Oamen, pledging training and combined military exercises.

Speaking with Journalists, Col Brooks noted that his visit was to reinforce the ongoing military cooperation between the United States and Nigeria.

According to him, cooperation in the areas of combined exercises and training was crucial, emphasising that the visit would help him assess where US assistance is needed and the types of support that would be the most beneficial.

Responding, Rear Admiral Oamen encouraged Col Brooks to identify areas where US support could enhance the Nigerian Navy (NN)’s training and capacity-building efforts.

He highlighted that the Nigerian Navy is the largest in the Gulf of Guinea and is committed to ensuring security in the maritime environment to foster business prosperity.

He also pointed out that the NN’s endeavours have significantly improved safety in Nigerian waters, leading to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) removing Nigeria from its piracy-prone area list.

LEADERSHIP Sunday reports that during the courtesy visit, Col Brooks toured the Western Naval Command’s Regional Maritime Awareness Capability (RMAC) Centre and the RMAC Training School.

Senior officers present during the visit included Rear Admiral Sulaiman Dantsoho Ibrahim (Chief Staff Officer, West), Commodore Abdulrahman Mohammed (Command Operations Officer, West), and Captain Tumi Adebola Ogunkoya (Command Technical Officer, West).