Africa Partnership Station Africa Partnership Station ( or APS ) is an international initiative developed by United States Naval Forces Europe - Africa , which works cooperatively with U . S . and international partners to improve maritime safety and security in Africa as part of US Africa Command ' s Security Cooperation program . Africa Partnership Station , or APS , is a strategic program designed to build the skills , expertise and professionalism of African militaries , coast guards and mariners . APS is not limited to one ship or platform nor is it delivered only at certain times . The program is delivered in many forms including ship visits , aircraft visits , training teams , and Seabee construction projects throughout most of the year . APS is part of a long - term commitment on the part of all participating nations and organizations from Africa , the United States , Europe , and South America . APS activities consist of joint exercises , port visits , hands - on practical courses , professional training and community outreach with the coastal nations of Africa . The focus is on building maritime capacity of the nations and increasing the level of cooperation between them to improve maritime safety and security . The goal is to improve the ability of the nations involved to extend the rule of law within their territorial waters and exclusive economic zones and better combat illegal fishing , human smuggling , drug trafficking , oil theft and piracy . APS also works to increase maritime safety by teaching skills that enhance a nation ' s ability to respond to mariners in distress . The first APS deployment was from November 2007 to April 2008 . Countries visited included Senegal , Togo , Ghana , São Tomé and Príncipe , Cameroon , Liberia , Gabon , and Equatorial Guinea and included USS Fort McHenry and HSV Swift , with an international staff embarked in Fort McHenry . The time in between major deployments was covered by mobile training team visits , maritime patrol aircraft exercises and port visits by individual naval vessels . During the summer and fall of 2008 two ships began what was at the time called a LEDET , or Law Enforcement Detachment . These ships were US Coast Guard Cutter Dallas ( USCGC Dallas ) and USS Leyte Gulf . These missions were designed to bring African law enforcement officials onboard US ships , in concert with Coast Guard personnel , in order to conduct the first real - time operations , building upon the many skills and capabilities acquired on previous training visits . USS Nashville was the second large amphibious ship to deploy to Africa under Africa Partnership Station ; it deployed from February 2009 to May 2009 . The USS Nashville was the largest ship to perform the APS mission in 2009 . APS Nashville visited Senegal , Ghana , Gabon , Cameroon , and Nigeria , spending one to two weeks in each port . APS Nashville ' s embarked staff had a larger international flavor with military members from Nigeria , Cameroon , Senegal , Ghana , Gabon , Italy , Portugal , Cape Verde , Sierra Leone , Togo , Equatorial Guinea , Kenya , UK , France , Germany , Spain , Denmark , Malta and Brazil . In February 2009 APS expanded to South and East Africa when the USS Robert G . Bradley visited Mozambique , Tanzania and Kenya . Over the summer of 2009 ( after USS Nashville completed her APS mission ) other ships continued the initiative . USS Arleigh Burke visited East Africa , bringing APS once again to the East coast of Africa and expanding the range of cooperative training . At the same time HSV Swift and the US Coast Guard Cutter Legare ( USCGC Legare ) continued the APS mission in West and Central Africa . While APS Swift conducted a series of training , humanitarian and outreach missions in the west , Legare led and participated in the first African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership or AMLEP ( the name used to replace the LEDETs mentioned above ) . While on the mission with members of the Sierra Leone Maritime Wing APS Legare made a significant impact when the joint mission boarded a Taiwanese vessel illegally fishing with thousands of dollars of fish . In the Fall of 2009 the first APS mission led by a non - US country commenced when the Dutch Rotterdam class amphibious transport dock " Johan De Witt " conducted the mission with US , Portuguese and Belgian Sailors and Marines embarked as training teams , and with Seabees and other subject matter experts . The ship conducted port visits to Senegal , Liberia , Sierra Leone and Ghana . In winter and spring of 2010 APS again made banner deployments . This time USS Gunston Hall visited West and Central Africa and a 2 - ship flotilla will visit East Africa at virtually the same time . The East Africa mission will include USS Nicholas and HSV Swift .