SHIP SHAPE


responsibilities that Tunisia’s geography entails, its navy employs fewer than 5,000, roughly 10 percent of the Tunisian army’s total. Tere are several key factors that, when aggregated, illustrate why the Tuni- sian navy has been a far more willing and capable partner than its geographical loca- tion or moderate resources would suggest.


Te Tunisian navy operates with a level of professionalism that is on par with its major European partners. Te vast major- ity of its naval officers have supplemented their domestic professional military education with courses, exchanges and extended experiences with various navies and industry partners around the world. Unlike the corruption, competing agen- das and misallocated resources that define a disproportionate number of FMS programs within U.S. Africa Command, the Tunisian navy has been able to chan- nel its human and material capital into effective use of FMS procurements.


Another major component of the success is the value the Tunisian navy puts on main- tenance. A visit to the naval base in Bizerte provides a window through which one can


see firsthand the investment the Tunisian National Navy has made in developing repair facilities and technical expertise. Unlike other countries’ militaries, whose extensive financial resources allow for the outsourcing of maintenance support, the Tunisian navy has grown its maintenance capability organically. Today its capabili- ties are on par with commercial shipyards in the region. Te combination of having the required elements on hand to conduct the actual maintenance as well as having the institutional focus to maximize these assets has made this capacity development possible.


Finally, the Tunisian navy has actively embraced international partnerships in a way that has allowed the organization to gain maximum benefit. Unlike its neighbors whose paths to independence created cultural fissures that still dramat- ically impact their foreign policy, Tunisia’s independence became an enabler of polit- ical relationships.


Te break from France in 1956 left fewer lingering repercussions than the indepen- dence process in much of North Africa,


and did not result in the Tunisians grav- itating to an ideological hegemon at the expense of all other relationships. Tunisia has remained close to France while also building on historical and geographical ties with numerous other partners. Tuni- sia was even formally recognized as a U.S. major non-NATO ally in 2015.


As a result of these relationships, the Tunisians have been able to draw on both material resources and expertise from a wide range of sources. A look at its fleet shows vessels built in the U.S., Germany and Italy, among others. Te Tunisian navy is a regular participant in multinational exercises such as Phoenix Express, sponsored by the U.S. Africa Command and conducted by U.S. Naval Forces Africa.


Operationally, the Tunisian navy regu- larly works with its European and African neighbors to address the ongoing human- itarian and security crises in the southern Mediterranean. Te Tunisian navy is able to benefit from all of these relationships in a way that dramatically increases over- all institutional capacity.


CODE ORANGE


Moroccan Royal Navy sailors participate in training aboard the Tunisian Navy’s MNT Khaireddine during Phoenix Express 2018 in early May. By participating in multinational exercises like Phoenix Express and working with European and African neighbors to address humanitarian and security issues, the Tunisian navy can access resources and expertise from a wide range of sources to boost its capabili- ties. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan U. Kledzik)


34


Army AL&T Magazine


October-December 2018


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