NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA, Italy -- Approximately 20 Marines and sailors from Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 14 will travel in April to Nigeria to conduct a theater security cooperation mission designed to improve the military capacity of our African partners and better enable them to prevent conflict and increase regional security.
The American service members will train and advise the Nigerian Army in its upcoming mission. The training will consist of maritime security, small craft operations, combat lifesaving skills, patrolling techniques with boats and orders and mission planning.
Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 14 is a rotation of Marines and sailors deployed to Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, to stage and prepare for theater security cooperation missions into various countries in Africa. This iteration is manned by Marines and sailors from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, permanently based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) is the Marine Corps’ principle organization for the conduct of all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are balanced, combined-arms forces with organic ground, aviation and sustainment elements. Special-purpose MAGTFs are organized, trained and equipped to accomplish a specific mission for which one of the three standard MAGTF types would be inappropriate or too large to employ.