Series aims to build partner military capacity through expert legal advice

The virtual conference series, developed in spring 2020, was held over a period of eleven weeks. It was attended by representatives from nine African nations, the United States, three European nations, and two international organizations.


“These events had a synergy that helped enable militaries to understand international norms and best practices.” - Mr. Maxwell
By U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs United States Africa Command Stuttgart, Germany Jan 17, 2021
View Gallery
fallback
Gallery contains 1 image

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Office of Legal Counsel hosted the final multilateral meeting of the Command Advice, Investigations, and Coordination (CAIC) Legal Advisor Network on January 17.

The virtual conference series, developed in spring 2020, was held over a period of eleven weeks. It was attended by representatives from nine African nations, the United States, three European nations, and two international organizations. U.S. officials facilitated weekly discussions of topics central to the roles of command legal advisors during which participants discussed how their respective militaries addressed legal issues and shared insights for facing common challenges.

“The objectives of this program are to increase commanders' access to competent legal advice by building the capacity of military legal officers, to encourage the use of administrative investigations, such as commanders’ inquiries, to assess and improve operations, and to standardize the management of materials and detainees collected by military personnel in conflict zones to support civilian prosecutions of suspected terrorists,” said Gisela Westwater, Department of Justice resident legal advisor to U.S. Africa Command. “By leveraging these pre-existing partnerships, relationships are deepening between the U.S. Judge Advocates and African partner legal advisors with appropriate, agreed upon follow-on projects.”

According to Westwater, the comprehensive program is implemented through a series of multilateral and bilateral engagements, with National Guard units taking the lead on bilateral engagements where partnerships already exist.

Mark “Max” Maxwell, U.S. Africa Command deputy legal counsel considers CAIC a success. “These events had a synergy that helped enable militaries to understand international norms and best practices,” he said.

In addition to the multinational relationships that were built or strengthened by CAIC, personnel from the U.S. Departments of Defense, State, and Justice were able to develop new connections within the legal advisor network. These relationships will improve future coordination across the agencies. Additionally, information gathered during the conferences will be consolidated to create reference materials for both participants and planners to develop future programs.

More in Partnerships
Winning the Peace through Religious Collaboration
U.S. chaplain delegation led by U.S. Africa Command Chaplain Colonel Karen Meeker conducted collaborative meetings to bring stability through faith and new avenues of collaboration in support of the warfighter while in Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2025.
Read more
General Langley Engages with Leaders in Côte d’Ivoire
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, traveled to Côte d’Ivoire, April 24-25, to meet with Ivorian leaders and deliver remarks at the opening ceremony of Flintlock 25, the command's annual combined special operations exercise.
Read more
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.”
Read more
More in Partnerships
Winning the Peace through Religious Collaboration
U.S. chaplain delegation led by U.S. Africa Command Chaplain Colonel Karen Meeker conducted collaborative meetings to bring stability through faith and new avenues of collaboration in support of the warfighter while in Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2025.
Read more
General Langley Engages with Leaders in Côte d’Ivoire
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, traveled to Côte d’Ivoire, April 24-25, to meet with Ivorian leaders and deliver remarks at the opening ceremony of Flintlock 25, the command's annual combined special operations exercise.
Read more
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.”
Read more
More in Partnerships
Winning the Peace through Religious Collaboration
U.S. chaplain delegation led by U.S. Africa Command Chaplain Colonel Karen Meeker conducted collaborative meetings to bring stability through faith and new avenues of collaboration in support of the warfighter while in Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2025.
Read more
General Langley Engages with Leaders in Côte d’Ivoire
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, traveled to Côte d’Ivoire, April 24-25, to meet with Ivorian leaders and deliver remarks at the opening ceremony of Flintlock 25, the command's annual combined special operations exercise.
Read more
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.”
Read more