December 1, 2008, marked the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, bringing individuals and organizations from around the world together in a campaign to increase awareness of this global epidemic. U.S. Africa Command joined in the efforts to raise HIV/AIDS awareness by hosting its 2nd Annual World AIDS Day Awareness and Training Program at the command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany on December 1. A follow-up event was scheduled for December 11. The events were geared to encourage discussion among staff of HIV/AIDS, particularly as it pertains to the African continent. At a luncheon meeting, staff members received updates on the efforts of the Department of Defense and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to fight the global war on HIV and AIDS. They were also invited to attend a showing and discussion of the 2007 movie, "A Soldier's Life," which takes a hard-hitting look at the effects of stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS within the Malawi Defense Force. While the number of AIDS deaths and HIV infections has declined over the last 10 years due to increased access to treatment and HIV prevention education, HIV/AIDS remains a global problem, which has caused an estimated 2 million deaths worldwide in 2007. According to the 2008 Report on the Global Aids Epidemic by UNAIDS, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV, accounting for 67 percent of all people living with HIV and for 75 percent of AIDS deaths in 2007. An estimated 1.9 million people were newly infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2007. In 1999, the U.S. government joined the International Partnership Against HIV/AIDS in Africa (IPAA) to mitigate the HIV pandemic and help stop the spread of AIDS. In 2000, the U.S. Congress provided $100 million in support of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment in sub-Saharan African and India. Of this funding, $10 million was provided to the Department of Defense to reduce the spread of HIV among military personnel in African countries, according to the U.S. Navy, which administers the Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, or DHAPP. Currently, U.S. military programs are coordinated as part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief(PEPFAR/Emergency Plan), which is a commitment of $15 billion from 2003 to 2008 from U.S. President George W. Bush to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. The majority of PEPFAR focus countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. On July 30, 2008, Bush signed into law the "Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, which will renew U.S. AIDS programs for another five years. The prevalence of AIDS in Africa is of concern to U.S. Africa Command, as it weakens African governments, militaries, and economies, hindering peacekeeping efforts there and negatively impacting overall security and stability on the continent. The U.S. military continues to partner with African militaries in fighting the spread of AIDS through HIV prevention programs, which have been established in 27 African nations. Department of Defense Directive 6485.02E, dated November 7, 2006, describes U.S. military policy to help prevent HIV in foreign militaries. According to Directive 6485.02E, it is Department of Defense Policy to: Support the U.S. Government in minimizing the pain and suffering caused by HIV/AIDS and the devastating impact on families, as well as the threat of global destabilizing due to the virus. This policy of minimizing pain and suffering is required by U.S. Congress in Public Law 108-25, "The United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003." Focus on increasing capacity and support centered on training, prevention education, military personnel testing, workplace safety, laboratory-building, disease tracking, as well as establishing and equipping HIV testing centers in foreign militaries. Protect foreign nation armed forces from HIV/AIDS. Support the U.S. Military HIV Research Program's efforts to develop a vaccine to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The directive can be found at: http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/648502p.pdf (63KB .pdf file).