The US delivered four 27ft Defender patrol vessels to the Armed Forces of Djibouti (FAD) as part of a train-and-equip defence partnership.
The delivery was confirmed by the US Naval Forces Europe-Africa in a tweet released on 29 February.
The move was facilitated by the State Department, USAFRICOM, US Naval Forces Africa and the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa.
The vessels are commonly used by the US Coast Guard and have also been provided to Benin, Liberia and Togo.
Djibouti remains a key strategic partner for the US due to its proximity to key international shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden. In December 2019, a $31m military aid package to the country supplied 54 new M1151 Humvee military vehicles now in use by the Djiboutian Rapid Intervention Battalion.
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Shipbuilders are saying the programme is going ahead on time as the government estimates 7.7 million tonnes of steel are needed for 2026 infrastructure projects.
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The adaptable design of Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 frigate, already selected by the UK Royal Navy and Poland, has led to more orders from Indonesia while other countries continue to weigh it up.
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