The Chief of General Staff of the (Tripoli-based) Libyan Army announced the final phase of the LIVEX Maritime Security Exercise “Seaboard 23” (18 to 25 September 2023) concluded off the coast of Augusta, Sicily. The exercise was jointly organized by Libya and Italy, with the participation of the navies of the 5+5 Defence Initiative countries (Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia).
During the days of 18 to 20 September, the Libyan Chiefs of Staff Media Department reported, the “theoretical aspect”, the schedule of activities and events, and several lectures and workshops were presented and discussed to conduct exercises and sailings.
From 21 to 25 September, the “practical side” was started. This included securing communication and sailing to the area of operations, carrying out a search and rescue exercise, carrying out a storming exercise of a suspicious ship carried out by members of the naval special forces, as well as a number of naval formations and manoeuvres, carrying out a counter-terrorist attack exercise on a small boat, protecting a ship during departure, in addition to displaying naval formations for VIP visitors, night exercises for intelligence officers, and insurance patrols.
On the closing day, a final meeting was held to discuss what was done during the exercise.
This exercise comes within the framework of the implementation of maritime activities programmed within the Multilateral Action Plan for the year 2023 of the 5+5 Defence Initiative. It has the aim of enhancing operational capabilities, exchanging information and awareness of the maritime field, to ensure maritime safety and surveillance in the Western Mediterranean basin, to emphasize the importance of training in maritime security skills, exchanging experiences and developing regional cooperation to face common security challenges and threats, in order to serve the peace, security and stability of the Western Mediterranean.
