Sailors from the Mexican and U.S. navies participate in the closing ceremony of the North American Maritime Security Initiative Pacific Exercise 2023. CMDR. DAN SLEDZ/U.S. NAVY
THE WATCH STAFF
Maritime security forces from Canada, Mexico and the United States gathered last year for two exercises held a few weeks apart designed to increase the effectiveness of the North American nations in tackling illicit activity in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The North American Maritime Security Initiative (NAMSI) exercises, based out of U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) facilities in San Diego, California and Corpus Christi, Texas, better acquainted the Canadian maritime forces, Mexican Navy (MARINA) and the U.S. Coast Guard with the best practices and protocols of the 17-year-old agreement to bolster the “maritime interoperability and the capabilities of the Canadian, Mexican and United States maritime forces to react jointly against a security threat,” according to a Coast Guard after action report. All three nations participated in the first exercise. Mexico and the U.S. attended the second.
The first event in San Diego was a tabletop exercise designed to familiarize participants with the NAMSI handbook and best practices. In the fictional scenario, the partners were trying to apprehend two transnational criminal organization (TCO) members attempting to smuggle a large quantity of narcotics into the North American Pacific Coast, according to the report. “There was great coordination, collaboration and teamwork during the planning, design and conduct of the exercise by the NAMSI exercise planning team. The exercise was attended by 32 participants from Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.,” the report stated.
A few weeks later, rough seas off the Texas coast prevented the maritime portion of the operation, but the three-day event provided opportunities for the exchange of ideas and best practices on how to combat illegal fishing. “The exercise was very successful in that it provided all participants from Marina, the USCG, and Texas Parks and Wildlife (a first-time participant in a NAMSI exercise), with the opportunity to share and exchange their Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) experience involving illegal unreported & unregulated fishing (IUUF) in the MX/U.S. Border area,” the after action report said.
The exercise covered how Mexico and the U.S. interdict and seize fishing boats involved in IUUF activities, and the legal steps required to improve the chances of a successful prosecution, as well as the differences in Mexican and U.S. law on the issue, the report stated.
The Mexican Navy released a statement praising the latest iteration of the long-standing collaboration. “Part of the capabilities to be strengthened among the friendly armed forces during the development of the ‘NAMSI GOMEX PHASE 1’ are exercises of Search and Rescue at sea, Maintenance of the Rule of Law and application of Law at sea, formations and tactical evolutions, maritime detection and interdiction, with the participation of observers and controllers from both nations, and to also carry-out exercises to eliminate language barriers through simulated scenarios in which interoperability between the two nations can be perfected. In this way, the Ministry of the Navy, through the Mexican Navy, shows its commitment to the citizenry to strengthen the operational capabilities of its personnel through the exchange of knowledge and techniques carried out during this multinational interaction between friendly nations, with the sole purpose of strengthening the security and protection of the seas and coasts of the Gulf of Mexico region and North America,” the statement said, according to seawaves.com, a maritime website.
NAMSI, launched in 2008, is an interagency and trilateral forum among Canadian, Mexican and U.S. maritime commands to develop and refine maritime operations, as well as synchronize training and operational interoperability among forces of the three nations. “The three participating nations actively seek opportunities to operate together and strengthen their cohesive approach to enhance regional maritime security in North America,” stated a 2023 Coast Guard news release.