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AFRICOM delegation visits Namibia to develop security cooperation, partnership efforts

Members of a U. S. Africa Command delegation meet with members of the DREAMS Initiative, The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program, during a visit to Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 30, 2022. The delegation included Amb. Andrew Young, U.S. Africa Command deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement, and Ms. Barbara Hughes, USAID senior development advisor to U.S. Africa Command. Through PEPFAR the U.S. helps with HIV testing and referral for treatment, development efforts that support defense to limit the HIV/AIDS impact on African militaries.

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Photo by: DoD photo by Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Mejia 

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AFRICOM delegation visits Namibia to develop security cooperation, partnership efforts

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Photo by: DoD photo by Ms. Lori Enright 

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AFRICOM delegation visits Namibia to develop security cooperation, partnership efforts

Amb. Andrew Young (right), U.S. Africa Command deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement, and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Peter Bailey, U.S. Africa Command deputy director for Strategy, Engagement and Programs, meet with representatives of the KP Clinic during a visit to Katutura in Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 30, 2022. The clinic assists individuals in key populations who, due to specific higher risk behaviors, are at increased risk of HIV.

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Photo by: DoD photo by Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Mejia 

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AFRICOM delegation visits Namibia to develop security cooperation, partnership efforts

Amb. Andrew Young, U.S. Africa Command deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement, Ms. Barbara Hughes, USAID senior development advisor to U.S. Africa Command, and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Peter Bailey, U.S. Africa Command deputy director for Strategy, Engagement and Programs, take a selfie with members of the DREAMS Initiative during a visit to Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 30, 2022. The DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) Initiative seeks to reduce HIV infection among adolescence girls and young women, funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program.

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Photo by: DoD photo by Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Mejia 

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AFRICOM delegation visits Namibia to develop security cooperation, partnership efforts

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. William Lange (right), senior defense official/defense attaché to Namibia, speaks with a doctor and superintendent during a visit to the Katutura State Hospital, in Windhoek Namibia, on Aug. 30, 2022. Lange was accompanied by Ambassador Andrew Young (middle), U.S. Africa Command deputy to the commander for civil-military engagement, and Ms. Barbara Hughes (not picutured), USAID senior development advisor to U.S. Africa Command, for the visit. to the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief clinic that offers HIV testing and referral for treatment. These development efforts support defense to limit the HIV/AIDS impact on African militaries.

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Photo by: DoD photo by Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Mejia 

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AFRICOM delegation visits Namibia to develop security cooperation, partnership efforts

Ms. Barbara Hughes, USAID senior development advisor to U.S. Africa Command, admires a young student’s seamstress design at the DREAMS Initiative during a U. S. Africa Command delegation visit to Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 30, 2022. The DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) Initiative seeks to reduce HIV infection among adolescence girls and young women, funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program.

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Photo by: DoD photo by Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Mejia 

A delegation from U.S. Africa Command, led by U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young, deputy commander of military engagement for the command, participated in a dedication ceremony at the Daan Viljoen National Park in Namibia on Sept. 2. The delegation also included the U.S. Agency for International Development Senior Development Adviser to U.S. Africa Command, Barbara Hughes, and Deputy Director for Strategic Engagement, Brig. Gen. Pete Bailey.

U.S. Africa Command donated vehicles and other equipment through the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) program to assist Namibia with their counter-poaching and anti-smuggling efforts. 

The four Land-Cruisers and other specialized equipment that were part of the $595,000 donation will help the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism combat poaching in Namibia, where illegal wildlife trade continues to be an acute problem.  

Wildlife trafficking is the fourth most profitable transnational, illicit trade and is of a regional security concern in southern Africa, where countries work to protect endangered wildlife, trace illicit cargo and secure their borders. Left unchecked, illegal wildlife trade can have spillover effects on the overall stability and security of the region.

“This visit really illustrates the U.S. whole-of-government approach to what we are doing with our Namibian partners,” Young said. “This is a true example of what we can accomplish when we work together not just across borders but also across different government agencies so that we can bring the Department of Defense’s unique support to addressing regional security issues like wildlife poaching.” 

The group was briefed by the Blue Rhino Task Force, an interagency task force funded by the U.S. government to combat international poaching. The task force, which sets a global standard for interagency cooperation when it comes to combating wildlife trafficking, combines efforts of local communities, non-governmental organizations, law enforcement and national security institutions to create an effective operational, investigative and analytical team that has led to more than 750 arrests and shut down numerous international syndicates between southern Africa and market destinations in Europe and Asia.

“Meeting with the Blue Rhino Task Force helped illuminate the wider role all of us have to protect natural resources for future generations,” Young said. “While the command may provide assistance to the brave members of Namibia’s anti-poaching squad, each of us need to do our part to reduce the demand globally that is responsible for endangering these beautiful creatures.“

The dedication ceremony of anti-poaching assistance was just one part of a visit by the command delegation to help understand and see how the command’s efforts in Namibia complement other U.S. government efforts. 

As the largest bilateral donor in the health care sector in Namibia, the delegation heard firsthand from community outreach workers at the Katutura Village in Windhoek - beneficiaries of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s efforts under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and USAID’s support for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment.

The delegation also met with Defense Minister Frans Kapofi, with whom they discussed the strong partnership between the U.S. and Namibia and expressed their commitment to working together on shared security interests like anti-poaching, infectious disease control, maritime security, and integrating women into peace and security initiatives. 

The delegation also met with Dr. Ester Utjiua, deputy minister of health and social services, to discuss how the U.S. and Namibia can best continue to collaborate in health security and to reinforce Namibia’s extraordinary progress on meeting U.N. targets to control HIV/AIDS.

“We had a very productive meeting,” Hughes said. “Namibia is rightly proud of their enormous progress towards reaching HIV/AIDS epidemic control and we are proud that the U.S. government’s PEPFAR played a part in this success. We also discussed the Critical Mobile Health Facility support that AFRICOM is pleased to be providing with OHDACA funding. Our partnership in the health sector is extremely strong.”

Ambassador Young and Bailey rounded out the trip with a visit to the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, which conducted her second port call within a year in Namibia. The ship belongs to the expeditionary sea base class of ships, which offer a highly flexible platform that can act as a mobile sea base to support the deployment of forces and supplies and may be used across a broad range of military operations.

“Namibia’s partnership with the United States is advancing across a broad front. From investments in healthcare that have saved countless Namibian lives, to our shared interests in protecting the natural resources of the beautiful country, to deepening our security exchanges including the second visit in a year of our U.S. naval ship,” Young said. “This visit truly demonstrated what we can do together when defense supports diplomacy and development. We look forward to the ways our partnership will continue to grow.”