12:00 AM8/23/2022

Senior Enlisted Leaders from over 20 African partner nations, the U.S., and NATO participated in the annual Senior Enlisted Leader Conference hosted by U.S. Africa Command, Aug. 22-23, 2022. The conference marks the return of face-to-face engagements after COVID-19.

12:00 AM8/18/2022

The "Faces of AFRICOM" project is a recurring series that aims to provide greater insight to different positions across U.S. Africa Command and how those roles support U.S. and African partner shared goals. This edition sheds light on the role of the U.S. Coast Guard from the perspective of U.S. Coast Guard Codr. Danielle Shupe. The eight U.S. Coast Guard members stationed at U.S. Africa Command provide expertise including protecting living marine resources, environmental protection, law enforcement, drug interdiction, search and rescue, and defense operations. "African partners often tell us that the U.S. Coast Guard is their partner of choice when it comes to maritime training and development," Shupe said. U.S. Coast Guard objectives in Africa include exercising maritime security agreements, enhancing partner nation capacities and promoting the US partnership. This is achieved through joint maritime exercises, engagements, and real-world operations conducted with African partners. "In reality, most African navies are more similar to the Coast Guard than the Navy as they work to enforce national sovereignty in their territorial seas and exclusive economic zones," said Shupe. A stable and sustainable Africa reduces illicit maritime activity and prevents the spread of Violent Extremist Organizations. The U.S. Coast Guard with U.S. Africa Command is helping partner nations develop robust networks to stop illicit activities - such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, illegal trafficking, and piracy - at the strategic and operational levels. U.S. Africa Command is one of seven U.S. Department of Defense geographic combatant commands. The command is responsible for all U.S. military operations, exercises, security cooperation, and conducts crisis response on the African continent in order to advance U.S. interests and promote regional security, stability, and prosperity.

9:44 AM8/17/2022

This edition sheds light on the role of Joint Training, Readiness and Exercises directorate with the help of U.S. Army Lt. Col. Adam McCombs. "A lot of the exercises focus not only on countering VEOs (violent extremist organizations) on the continent, a threat that we both share, but also promoting stability and regional security within the host nations and the surrounding nations for the objectives we are looking to achieve within the exercise program," explained McCombs. "We take a big account to what our partner nation's objectives are and making sure that the exercise also meets those ideas." The main objectives when planning exercises are to take the combatant commander's guidance for the operations and align the program in a way that achieves the campaign strategy, assists in countering threats, strengthens alliances, and increases the overall joint readiness of the force. Exercises are a necessary part of how the command operates in Africa by incorporating all lines of effort by gaining access and influence, countering threats, incorporating crisis mitigation and response, and coordinating with allies and partners. U.S. Africa Command is one of seven U.S. Department of Defense geographic combatant commands. The command is responsible for all U.S. military operations, exercises, security cooperation, and conducts crisis response on the African continent in order to advance U.S. interests and promote regional security, stability, and prosperity.

11:53 AM8/16/2022

During U.S. Africa Command's change of command ceremony held Aug. 9 in Stuttgart, Germany, Sgt. Maj. Richard Thresher, command senior enlisted leader, began the formal passing of the guidon in which U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, outgoing commander, U.S. Africa Command, transferred command to U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, incoming commander. The Honorable Lloyd Austin III, U.S. Department of Defense secretary of defense, presided over the ceremony and accepted the colors from Townsend before transferring them to Langley, signifying the change in leadership.

9:22 AM8/16/2022