The United States deploys naval ship to “boost safety” on East African watersThe U.S. has reportedly stationed the first naval ship to Eastern Africa in over a decade to boost maritime security and allow freedom of navigation in the region, two months after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta received the U.S.-Africa Command General Stephen Townsend in Nairobi. The Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel 'Woody' Williams can be used for a broad range of military operations, acting as a mobile sea base to support multiple operational phases. Its deployment comes amid a diplomatic crisis between Somalia and Kenya. Extremist groups operating in East Africa, including Al-Shabaab, Ansar al-Sunna and the Islamic State, are reportedly taking advantage of the gaps in the region's maritime security. These groups fund a portion of their activities through maritime smuggling that involves drugs, arms and human trafficking. You'll like this!
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