Disaster and Health experts from nine African nations came together in Nairobi, Kenya for a five-day planning workshop on Pandemic Influenza Response, August 31-September 4, 2009. The event was sponsored and facilitated by U.S. Africa Command through its Pandemic Response Program (PRP) and hosted by the Golden Spear Regional Disaster Management Center of Excellence in Nairobi. In attendance were delegations from Burundi, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, including both civil and military officials involved in disaster and pandemic planning in their respective nations. Also participating were representatives from the United Nations, Red Cross, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Army Medical Research Unit –Kenya, and regional African health organizations. The workshop consisted of a series of topical briefings in the morning sessions followed by country-specific planning sessions facilitated by the UN, Red Cross, World Health Organization and Africa Command personnel. Highlights included: Pandemic Influenza updates by the World Health Organization; Roles and Responsibilities of the Regional Disaster Management Center of Excellence; Logistics and Transportation by the United Nations World Food Program; Strategic Communications presented by the International Federation of the Red Cross; capability briefs by UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs and the East Central and Southern Africa Health Community. Africa Command’s role and objectives in assisting African militaries with pandemic response planning under the USAID Humanitarian Pandemic Preparedness (H2P) initiative are:To create an opportunity for senior and mid-level military leaders to train in disaster management, humanitarian assistance, and pandemic preparedness. To assist the Partner Nations in assessing their pandemic influenza preparedness and response baseline. To assist the National Level Authorities and their Military in validating roles and responsibilities within the National Pandemic Response Plan. To provide a mechanism for Partner Nations to understanding the roles of the international community (International Organizations, NGO’s, Regional Governments) in the management of a pandemic response. Promote interoperability and enhance capability of host Nations to respond to complex humanitarian emergencies. To identify national and regional opportunities for improvement that will assist in the development of a multi-country response to pandemics and all hazards. To provide a mechanism for military response plans to be tested at the national, local and regional levels. In addition to working with individual nations to develop response plans, PRP focuses on regional collaboration in the event of a complex emergency such as a pandemic. This was the first regional activity thanks to the partnership with the Regional Disaster Management Center of Excellence, Nairobi, Kenya. A second regional activity will be held in West Africa in December to include participants from Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Benin, Liberia, and Nigeria. The work that U.S. Africa Command provides in Pandemic Response planning is directly dependent on national needs of African partners. The planning work conducted during this workshop will assist U.S. Africa Command in continuing to improve program engagement processes. According to a U.S. Africa Command official, the recent H1N1 outbreak highlights the critical importance of taking a holistic approach to mitigating the effects of a complex emergency. The workshop raises awareness of this important topic and serves as a collaborative forum, bringing together civilian and military personnel and international health experts to work towards the development of regional and national response plans.