Members from Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training (MCAST) Command, assigned to the staff of U.S. Naval Forces Africa, completed a visit to Monrovia, Liberia, December 2011, to discuss future Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2012 civil affairs projects and upgrade the automated identification system (AIS) equipment within the Monrovian harbor.



Lieutenant Catherine Reppert, Maritime Civil Affairs team leader, said the visit offered her team an opportunity to develop relationships between the U.S. and Liberian forces and to support the development of strong ties between the armed services and their surrounding communities.



"By working with our African partners on medical and humanitarian civic action projects we not only contribute to communities in need, but also expand our relationships with our military partners," said Reppert.



While in Liberia, team members upgraded the AIS equipment and trained the Liberian Coast Guard to utilize the system in order to help Liberia expand their maritime domain awareness capabilities.



Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Debarberie, leading petty officer and communicator assigned to Maritime Civil Affairs Team 202, expressed strong enthusiasm at being able to work with the Liberian Coast Guard and to upgrade the ground-based automated identification system to help Liberia maintain a clear picture of maritime traffic.



"This is an important technology that will contribute to maritime safety in and around Monrovia harbor," said Debarberie.



APS is an international initiative that aims to improve maritime safety and security in Africa and has experienced steady growth in African as well as European and South American involvement since its inception in 2007. By working together, APS participant countries will continue to train to properly face maritime issues challenging African nations.