War Is Boring

by DAVID AXE Part two of U.S. Navy journalist Martin Cuaron’s video from the amphibious ship USS Nashville‘s humanitarian and training cruise in West Africa in early 2009. Part one is here. (Video: Martin Cuaron)

by DAVID AXE U.S. Navy journalist Martin Cuaron was aboard USS Nashville when the now-retired amphibious ship sailed down the West African coast in early 2009, delivering training and humanitarian aid to U.S.-allied governments. The so-called “Africa Partnership Station” is one of several “Global Fleet Stations” established in recent years in Latin America, Africa and [...]

by DAVID AXE The crew and mission staff aboard the Austin-class amphibious ship Nashville (pictured), commissioned in 1970, were in for a surprise when the 570-foot vessel approached the tiny port in Libreville, the bustling capital of Gabon, in West Africa. Despite earlier assurances from Navy planners and local officials, it turned out that the [...]

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by DAVID AXE “Helping to enhance and develop maritime safety and security capability and capacity in West and Central Africa is really the genesis of this initiative,” Capt. [Cindy] Thebaud said of [Africa Partnership Station]. Using a single ship and a few hundred sailors, Washington hopes to help build up native forces to secure the [...]

by DAVID AXE They didn’t look like much: three tall cardboard boxes, each roughly the size of the Gabonese soldiers handling them into the bed of a battered military truck. But appearances can be deceptive. These unassuming boxes represent the critical, final components of a sophisticated early warning system for the potentially cataclysmic effects of [...]

With two expensive land wars draining the treasury, the Pentagon wants to prevent future conflicts without spending a lot of money. Two years ago the Navy launched its first, roughly annual Africa Partnership Station, sending ships on solo cruises up the West African coast to deliver training and humanitarian aid. The idea: to win new [...]

In his civilian clothes, Dr. Augustus Vogel stood out among the khaki, green and blue uniforms of Nashville‘s military crew. As the U.S. Navy’s science liaison for the amphibious ship’s six-month “smart power” mission delivering training, humanitarian and scientific assistance to six West African nations, Vogel’s responsibilities were as unusual as his dress. On April [...]

With two expensive land wars draining the treasury, the Pentagon wants to prevent future conflicts without spending a lot of money. Two years ago the Navy launched its first, roughly annual Africa Partnership Station, sending ships on solo cruises up the West African coast to deliver training and humanitarian aid. The idea: to win new [...]

With two expensive land wars draining the treasury, the Pentagon wants to prevent future conflicts without spending a lot of money. Two years ago the Navy launched its first, roughly annual Africa Partnership Station, sending ships on solo cruises up the West African coast to deliver training and humanitarian aid. The idea: to win new [...]

In 2007, the U.S. Navy amphibious ship Fort McHenry sailed on a six-month cruise down the West African coast. Her mission: to deliver training and humanitarian aid to new and emerging U.S. allies, in a bid to foster good will and security in a troubled and rapidly growing region. The Navy called the mission “Africa [...]

With two expensive land wars draining the treasury, the Pentagon wants to prevent future conflicts without spending a lot of money. Two years ago the Navy launched its first, roughly annual Africa Partnership Station, sending ships on solo cruises up the West African coast to deliver training and humanitarian aid. The idea: to win new [...]