1st SFAB begins advising mission with vehicle maintenance training in Senegal

This was the 1st SFAB’s first advising mission after being allocated to U.S. Africa Command, and the first-ever employment of the new security force assistance brigades in Africa.

“Improving the logistics capabilities of our partners in the Senegalese Armed Forces, to extend their operational reach is an essential task."

By Lt. Col. Matthew Fontaine , 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade Dakar, Senegal May 07, 2020

View Gallery

Gallery contains 5 images

Logistics Advisor Team 1610, 6th Battalion, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), delivered a three-week long vehicle maintenance and recovery course in Dakar, Senegal, March 2-21, to enhance the Senegalese Armed Forces' ability to keep their military moving.

"We are excited that the Security Force Assistance Brigade has begun its work in Senegal. Their strategy of conducting engagements through persistent presence in-country improves outcomes, as it allows them to gain a better understanding of the needs and capabilities of the partner force,” said U.S. Army Col. Gwyn Carver, Defense Attaché, U.S. Embassy in Senegal. “This will pay dividends for the Senegalese military, and just as importantly I know that taking on the challenge of working with a partner nation force as capable as Senegal's will provide the SFAB with an invaluable experience for future deployments."

The Senegalese Armed Forces support United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, and being able to recover a vehicle that breaks down or gets stuck is critically important to their missions.

The U.S. Army advisors from Fort Benning provided advanced training on maintaining and recovering their armored personnel carriers, the M36 Puma. The Senegalese soldiers learned how to teach these techniques to their own teams so they can sustain this capability.

“Improving the logistics capabilities of our partners in the Senegalese Armed Forces, to extend their operational reach is an essential task for U.S. Army Africa,” said Col. Layton Dunbar, U.S. Army Africa director of logistics. “The U.S. Army’s 1st SFAB logistics advisors did a tremendous job training our Senegalese partners and enhancing their Armed Force’s readiness through this security cooperation event.”

This was the 1st SFAB’s first advising mission after being allocated to U.S. Africa Command, and the first-ever employment of the new security force assistance brigades in Africa.

The SFAB concept is the Army’s answer to the growing need to carry out security force assistance with partners and allies while also building and maintaining readiness for unified land operations.

Prior to this allocation to Africa, the first, second and third SFABs previously deployed to U.S. Central Command and partnered with Afghan or Iraqi security forces.

“Our mission is about way more than just training maintenance and logistics. It’s really about building long-lasting partnerships and enhancing their skills in order to increase their capability and survivability during operations,” said Maj. Michael Pachucki, 1st SFAB logistics advisor company commander.

Pachucki’s specially-selected and trained team of volunteers provided classroom instruction and hands-on training for preventative maintenance checks, vehicle recovery planning, winch operations, and standard operating procedures. They worked alongside their Senegalese partners and were impressed by their passion and skill.

“Every day the Senegalese were excited for training and utilized the hands-on practical exercises as an opportunity to showcase their previous experience with their newly learned skills. My team and I were truly impressed with their professionalism, experience, knowledge, and eagerness to continually learn,” Pachucki said.

The Senegalese soldiers told Pachucki they appreciated the training and requested more training on handling hazardous materials and how to efficiently distribute supplies and spare parts.

The coronavirus pandemic interrupted 1st SFAB’s operations in Africa. The unit is working with U.S. Army Africa and the U.S. Department of State to prepare for future security force assistance missions once conditions allow the advisors to return.

USCGC Spencer (WMEC 905) completes multinational maritime security patrol, arrives in Dakar, Senegal

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter ports in Cabo Verde

African Lion, NCO development discussed during visits in Senegal

Senegal launches Africa Air Force Forum

COMUSAFE attends Africa Air Force Forum in Senegal

Senegal

Armed Forces of Senegal

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

NAIROBI, Kenya – Imagine two scenarios. Scenario 1: Dawn breaks over the capital of Kenya. A U.S. diplomat leaves his residence for the embassy. After a 20-minute ride, his car arrives at the gate and he enters. He sits in his office to begin the day when, all of a sudden, he hears an explosion through the open window. It seems far off; it is not a large explosion. He thinks maybe it was just a car accident, but minutes later he smells something bitter in the air. His eyes water, sirens blare and a U.S. Marine Corps security detail enters his office wearing gas masks. They put a mask on him and tell him they must evacuate immediately because a deadly chemical is blowing over the compound. Scenario 2: U.S. intelligence receives credible information that radiological material is being loaded onto a ship in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Time is short and no one knows which ship, only that it will embark soon, possibly bound for the hands of violent extremists or other state actors looking to imperil the U.S. homeland. There is no time to send U.S. security forces to intercept the package. Instead, the Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) mobilizes and arrives at the port. Using tactics and tools gained from years of training with the United States, they find the ship and the weapon, placed there by a violent extremist organization, and prevent its departure, defeating the threat to America and its citizens. Similar scenarios have happened before in other areas of the world.

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Belgian Ministry of Defence, in partnership with U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and U.S. Indo Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Chaplain Directorates, hosted the world’s largest annual meeting of senior military religious leaders at the 36th Annual NATO & Partner International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference (IMCCC) in Brussels, Belgium, January 27-31, 2025.

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

United States Africa Command

1st SFAB begins advising mission with vehicle maintenance training in Senegal

This was the 1st SFAB’s first advising mission after being allocated to U.S. Africa Command, and the first-ever employment of the new security force assistance brigades in Africa.