Overview
- African Maritime Forces Summit 2026 in Rabat brought U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa together with dozens of African maritime leaders to turn dialogue into practical cooperation.
- Maj. Gen. Daniel L. Shipley held bilateral talks with Nigerian and Kenyan maritime officials that publicly endorsed Nigeria and Kenya as regional security leaders and pledged sustained professional exchanges.
- Participants focused on persistent threats to West and East African waters, including piracy, oil theft, illegal fishing, illicit trafficking, terrorism and organized crime that harm trade and coastal communities.
- Operational priorities agreed at the summit include expanding maritime domain awareness through technology, building trusted information‑sharing networks, and increasing training so partners can lead responses in their own waters.
- Morocco co‑hosted the summit with U.S. commands, using long-standing ties as a platform for continued regional coordination that could speed crisis response and protect livelihoods tied to shipping, fisheries and energy exports.