KDF Joins U.S., UK, and 17 Others in Major Security Drill & Training
The U.S. recently strengthened Kenya’s security capabilities through an Ksh8.9 billion runway expansion at Manda Bay, a project that is aimed at enhancing domain awareness and the war against insurgents...
✨ Key Highlights
Kenya’s Naval Forces are participating in Exercise Cutlass Express 2026, a U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)-sponsored multinational maritime security drill, to enhance security along its coastline and protect maritime trade routes in the Indian Ocean.
- The exercise, running from February 2 to 12 in Port Louis, Mauritius, focuses on boosting Kenya's Navy's ability to counter illegal fishing, smuggling, and piracy.
- Kenyan forces are training alongside the United States Navy's U.S. Sixth Fleet in complex operations like visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) and maritime interdiction.
- A key feature is the deployment of unmanned and autonomous systems by U.S. Task Force 66, exposing Kenyan personnel to advanced maritime surveillance technologies.
- 19 nations, including Somalia, Tanzania, Seychelles, India, France, and the United States, are participating in this cornerstone event for East African and Western Indian Ocean maritime security.
- The exercise comes amidst an expanded Kenya-U.S. defense partnership, which recently saw a groundbreaking for an Ksh8.9 billion runway expansion at the Manda Bay naval base.
- Christopher Landau, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and General Dagvin R. M. Anderson, Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), recently visited Nairobi to discuss bilateral cooperation with President William Ruto.
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Kenya Engages in International Diplomacy, Military Drills, and Educational Programs - February 2026
President William Ruto has expanded Kenya's diplomatic presence by nominating Kosiom Frank Ole Kibelekenya as Ambassador to Copenhagen, Denmark, and appointing three new Deputy Ambassadors to Somalia, Russia, and Tanzania. In military cooperation, Kenya’s Naval Forces are participating in Exercise Cutlass Express 2026, a U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)-sponsored multinational maritime security drill, alongside the U.S., UK, and 17 other nations to enhance security. On the education front, the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi announced the opening of applications for the fully funded 2027-2028 Fulbright Foreign Student Programme and the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Programme, inviting Kenyans to pursue educational opportunities in the United States.
