Two U.S. Army Africa personnel joined with uniformed and civilian members of the Burundian Defense Forces to conduct a deployment capability assessment in Bujumbura, December 14-17, 2010.

Sergeant 1st Class Luis Febles and Gordon Christensen of the U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) Logistics Directorate, stationed at Caserma Ederle, conducted the survey, which took place at the Bujumbura Military Airfield.

Christensen and Febles were in Bujumbura to assess the Burundian capability to deploy personnel and equipment via aircraft to various operations on the African continent, and then to use those findings to custom design a lesson plan for an Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) scheduled for June 2011.

ADAPT, a U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) program that is managed and executed by USARAF, aims to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries to better support peace-keeping operations, humanitarian relief operations and UN missions; foster positive relationships between U.S and African land forces; and increase deployment interoperability with U.S. forces for joint or combined operations, training and exercises.

"This is our first interaction with the Burundian military in a deployment operations sense," Christensen said. "This survey will help us to tailor the lesson plan for the June 2011 ADAPT, and tailoring the plan will help us to meet the Burundian's training requirements."

"Having trained and certified deployers is a crucial component to deploying a force," Febles said.

"We want the ability to run this operation with our own soldiers," said Major General Nkusi Charles, Commandant de l'Aviation, Republique Du Burundi.

"The Burundian soldiers and civilians are excited about the upcoming ADAPT, and applying the training to their real world operations," Febles said.

"Understanding USARAF's and the Burundian's capabilities and limitations will greatly assist us in future partnership events," Christensen said.

"This successful military-to-military ADAPT event demonstrates the important partnerships between U.S. Army Africa and African partner nations in increasing deployment capabilities and capacity," he said.