U.S. and Mozambique strengthen security and defense economic cooperation

MAPUTO, Mozambique — Senior U.S. Africa Command leaders are visiting Mozambique to advance bilateral counterterrorism, maritime security, and defense economic objectives during high-level engagements in Maputo and Afungi, Nov. 5–7, 2026.

Led by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan, deputy commander of U.S. Africa Command, and Ambassador Peter Vrooman, deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement, the delegation is joining U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Abigail Dressel to meet with senior Mozambican defense officials and energy sector leaders.

This visit underscores a shared commitment to stabilizing the region, directly securing the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility in Cabo Delgado—a transformative infrastructure project with the potential to net billions of dollars for the Mozambican people.

A primary focus of the bilateral engagements is aligning security cooperation with critical infrastructure protection to drive private sector confidence. When international private corporations observe host-nation partners actively working and training alongside elite U.S. troops, they perceive significantly less risk to their multi-billion-dollar capital investments and personnel.

By reinforcing the security architecture around strategic energy corridors like Afungi, this defense partnership provides the stability necessary for global energy supply chains to flourish, ensuring that Mozambique's natural resources can be safely developed to directly benefit the local economy.

"Fighting terrorism is not a fight that any one nation can win on their own, it requires a professional, unified, and highly coordinated network of international partners, said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan. "Our close military partnership with Mozambique is focused on enabling operationally self-sufficient forces to secure their sovereign territory, neutralize violent extremist threats, and build the secure foundation required for long-term economic investment to thrive.”

This cooperative approach is put into action through premier training events like Exercise Cutlass Express, which brings together more than 30 nations to train on all domains of combat—spanning land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.

By expanding battlefield survivability and tactical coordination across these diverse operating environments, the exercise significantly enhances the capabilities of the Armed Forces for the Defence of Mozambique (FADM) to protect sovereign territory and safeguard the vital waters of the Mozambique Channel from asymmetric threats.

"Exercises like Cutlass Express bring unique, multi-domain capabilities that can help Mozambique fight narcotics trafficking, disrupt illicit maritime activities, and cut off the funding streams of extremist groups," said Lt. Gen. Brennan. "By working side-by-side through Joint Combined Exchange Training, explosive ordnance disposal instruction, and multinational exercises, we are building a resilient and professional force capable of securing a prosperous, stable future for all Mozambicans."

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