Press Release
United States Coast Guard teaches Tanzanian People’s Defense Forces tactics
April 10, 2007
By Capt. Tony Wickman
CJTF-HOA Public Affairs
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA -- Part of the U.S. Government’s efforts in East Africa is providing military-to-military training to host nation governments to provide security and stabilize the region.
As the result of a recent U.S. Embassy in Tanzania request for support, the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Country Coordinating Element for Tanzania helped bring a four-person U.S. Coast Guard mobile training team to teach an Advanced Boarding Officer Course to more than 20 members of the Tanzanian People’s Defense Forces and three instructors from the Dar es Salaam Maritime Institute.
According to USCG Lt. Miguel Torrez from the USCG Training Center Yorktown International Training Division, the 10-day course will cover international law, territorial waters, boarding procedures, individual tactics and techniques and the Coast Guard use of force model. The overall objective of the course is to give the TPDF and DMI personnel another way to approach the sometimes difficult and dangerous job of law enforcement on open waters.
“We deploy world-wide to teach law enforcement, search and rescue techniques, port security and small boat and ship engineering,” said Torrez. “We want the Tanzanians to learn different methods for doing their jobs and are using this course so they can learn methods to gain compliance in different situations.”
With a full class of eager students, the team of Torrez, Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Jay Rudometkin, Machinery Technician 2nd Class John Stockey and Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Gregory Belkin began the course April 2 in Dar es Salaam.
According to Rudometkin, the course is equal parts teaching, learning and information exchange.
“We are not trying to train them to do their job, but we are trying to teach them the way we (U.S. Coast Guard) do things,” said Rudometkin. “We want them to glean as much information from us as they can and in turn see if they can apply the things they learned to their own agencies. We will try to learn from them what their specific problems are they deal with, whether it is piracy or drug and human trafficking, and tailor the course to them. It is a professional exchange of information.”
According to William Mlesa, DMI director of studies and navigation department head, the course is an opportunity for Tanzanians to improve their skills.
“We all have short comings, but they should not be short comings but rather our strengths. With the help of other organizations interested in peace, we should try to offer assistance where it is possible. If that happens, then we shall achieve what you (the USCG MTT) are here to achieve. We shall do our best,” said Mlesa.
Lt. Cmdr. Jim Lipili, a 25-year member of the Tanzanian Navy, said the course is a great opportunity to learn new ways to do his job.
“I am very happy to be here in the class. It is very good to have a model of how the U.S. Coast Guard boards vessels and does law enforcement. It will give us a model on how to better do our business,” said Lipili.
The course ends April 13.