U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta visits Djibouti

U.S. Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, visited Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti . Since 2002, Djibouti – a former French colony – has played host to the only permanent U.S. military base on the African continent. Camp Lemonnier has grown steadily from a small outpost to an operation with more than 3,500 military personnel, most of them dedicated to combating terrorism in Somalia, Yemen and other countries in the region.

Panetta gave his best holiday wishes to the troops dressed in desert-camouflage but then got right to his point about Djibouti’s geographic significance: its location sandwiched between Yemen and Somalia, both of which are home to al-Qaeda networks.

Djibouti is known as a base from which the military has used drones to conduct airstrikes against terrorist targets in Yemen and Somalia. More recently, the military has also expanded drone operations from bases in Ethiopia, the Seychelles, and a secret location in the Arabian Peninsula.

Africa Lion 2011 Military Exercise in Morocco

An M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank from Company E, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division, fires a round down range from its 120mm main gun during a training mission here May 22 as part of African Lion 2011. African Lion is an annually scheduled, bilateral exercise between the Kingdom of Morocco and the U.S. that involves more than 2,000 U.S. service members and approximately 900 members of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.

African Lion is an annually scheduled, bilateral U.S.-Moroccan exercise designed to promote interoperability and mutual understanding of each nation’s military tactics, techniques and procedures.

Clip below is about the Marine convoy from Agadir to Tan-Tan, Morocco.

This is the aviation refueling portion of the exercise with the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234 refueling exercise between a U.S. C-130 Hercules and a Moroccan aircraft.

U.S. to send predator drones to Libya

Predator Drone

The Pentagon announced yesterday that the U.S. will begin deploying armed Predator drones against Muammar al-Qaddafi’s forces in order to break the stalemate in Libya.

Rebels have welcomed the news saying the weapons will help protect civilians.  The predators can remain in the sky virtually non-stop, firing missiles unseen, and with no crewmembers at risk.  This is great importance especially since the U.S. has ruled out sending in ground forces to the conflict and allowed NATO to take over command and implementation of defending-enforcing the no-fly-zone.

B-1B Supports Operation Odyssey Dawn

 

A B-1B Lancer takes off in support Operation Odyssey Dawn from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., March 27, 2011. This mission marked the first time the B-1 fleet has launched combat sorties from the continental United States to strike targets overseas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marc I. Lane)

U.S. Navy conducts exercise with South African Navy

SIMON'S TOWN, South Africa - A student from the Cape Academy, a school for math and science in Cape Town, South Africa, inspects the 76 mm cannon aboard USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29) during a tour of the ship as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS) East February 9, 2011. APS is an international security cooperation initiative, facilitated by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, the maritime component of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), aimed at strengthening global maritime partnerships through training and collaborative activities in order to improve maritime safety and security in Africa.

The U.S and South Africa navies jointly conducted military exercises recently.

The Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29) participated in a joint-maneuvering exercise with the South African Heroine-class submarine SAS Charlotte Maxeke (S-102) off the coast of South Africa, February 10, 2011.

The exercise was part of a series of joint-training operations between South Africa and U.S. navies.

Commander Matthew Rick, commanding officer of Stephen W. Groves, stated that the exercise allowed Stephen W. Groves’ crew to test their ability to deal with real-life situations they might face during their military career.

“Training with another nation’s vessel allows the crew to execute in real time,” said Rick. “We train constantly using simulations, but having an actual submarine to train with provides hands-on experience that is unmatched in anything we can do while independent steaming. Combine that with the chance to work with the South African Navy and it was a win-win situation for both crews and nations.”

The exercise focused on close quarters maneuvering which allowed watch standers to train in vessel avoidance and contact management.

“It is extremely rare to have the opportunity to train with a foreign navy’s warship,” said South African Navy Commander Darren White, commanding officer Charlotte Maxeke. “We met every objective, and were impressed with the precision with which the crew of Stephen W. Groves handled this exercise.”

Two Stephen W. Groves sailors, Lieutenant Shane Collins and Ensign Daniel Stayton, had the unique opportunity to spend two days embarked aboard Charlotte Maxeke.

“It was really impressive to see the professionalism and efficiency with which Commander White’s crew went about their operations,” said Collins. “They were great hosts, and the whole experience is one I will treasure.”

“The crew of the Charlotte Maxeke brought us on board and helped us feel right at home,” said Stayton. “I had a great time and walked away immensely impressed with the type of operational tempo and command climate they have aboard.”

Stephen W. Groves also hosted numerous ship riders from the Charlotte Maxeke. This training was part of the U.S. Navy’s initiative to strengthen military partnership nations throughout the continent of Africa.

Importance of Global Maritime Security Stressed at AFRICOM-Hosted Conference

STUTTGART, Germany - His Excellency Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, delivers the keynote address October 13, 2010, at the beginning of the 2010 conference on Africa Maritime Safety and Security: Towards Economic Prosperity. The event brought together members of the Africa Union Commission, nearly 20 African Nations, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense, international agencies, and inter-governmental organizations, along with academic and private sector experts

The importance of global cooperation on maritime security has been highlighted at an Africom sponsored conference.

African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha delivered a message of widening international cooperation to a conference of African, U.S., and European partners in Stuttgart, Germany October 13, 2010, during a speech focused on opportunities and challenges of Africa’s maritime domain.The two-day Conference on Maritime Safety and Security: Towards Economic Prosperity, co-sponsored by the U.S. Departments of State and Defense and hosted by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), concentrates on forging partnerships, identifying projects that support maritime security activities, and strengthening collaborative strategies.This international event brings together more than 170 participants representing the African Union Commission, nearly 20 African nations, U.S. government agencies, international and inter-governmental organizations, along with academic and private sector experts. The goal is to provide a forum for interaction among African and U.S. policymakers and non-traditional maritime safety and security stakeholders to identify and discuss common cross-sector maritime security strategies for sustained capacity building and economic development, according to conference organizers.

With maritime challenges growing each year off Africa’s coasts, Mwencha emphasized the importance of international partners in developing a strategy to tackle issues that affect not only Africa, but also the world. These include piracy, illegal fishing, environmental crimes, human trafficking, terrorism, oil theft and arms and drug smuggling. “These are crimes of a global nature,” Mwencha said. “Without a concerted effort by the global community, the health of Africa’s oceans and most significant inland waterways will be irreversibly damaged.” Mwencha delivered the conference’s keynote address. “Any threat can gradually undermine the security of an individual, a state or society and, at a greater level, the security of a whole region or the international trade, as is the case with the issue of piracy off the coast of Somalia today,” Mwencha said. “When these threats undermine the security of all these categories, there is obviously a need for action.” Among challenges in Africa, piracy has been a topic highlighted frequently in the media; however, it was not a main issue at the conference.

Event organizers said the conference was more focused on long-term strategies for land-based matters – the root of maritime problems that include piracy. A key aspect in the African Union’s (AU) plan is educating the international community on Africa’s issues to gain knowledge and support. “Until there is true understanding of the strategic importance of Africa’s domain, vulnerabilities will continue to grow,” Mwencha said. U.S. Africa Command supports the totality of Africa’s efforts, said General William E. Ward, AFRICOM commander. “The conference is a way to help us synchronize (and) coordinate the activities that we’re doing … to complement, support and then cause a greater effect overall to be achieved, as the nations of Africa works to increase their ability to provide security over their maritime domain,” Ward said. Command initiatives such as Africa Partnership Station (APS) and the African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership program (AMLEP) aim to enable African partners to build their maritime security capacity and improve management of their maritime environment through training and real-world collaboration.

APS began in 2007 with one U.S. Navy ship working with the nations of the west coast of Africa, providing tailored training, exercises, education, and maintenance activities and partnership opportunities. It is now beginning its fifth cycle, features an international staff, and has expanded to the east coast of Africa. It is an international program, with 26 nations participating, including seven European partners, some of which sail under the APS banner.

The next step in African maritime security is to develop and implement Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy, which Ambassador Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said will consist of an integrated framework that includes all aspects of maritime security and seeks to incorporate all stakeholders at the regional, national and international levels to work together for capacity to secure Africa and its waters. Carson, along with Ward and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Vicki Huddleston, provided the opening remarks at the first session of the conference. Mwencha emphasized that a collaborative, multi-layered effort of all stakeholders will result in enhanced maritime security, leading to reduced revenue losses and increased benefits. “These increased benefits,” Mwencha said, “will positively contribute to environmental and socio-economic development, as well as increased national, regional and continental stability, and by the same token, make a substantive contribution to global security.”

This is a continuation of Africom’s public diplomacy to engage institutions in and around Africa on African security threats and perceptions.  Here is a previous post were Gen. Kip Ward, Commander of U.S. Africa, talks about partnership, security and stability during a military strategy forum held last July.

Ghana and U.S conduct military disaster drills

VICENZA, Italy - Sergeant Major Tony Williams presents a certificate of participation to a Ghanaian soldier at the completion of military medical response study in Accra, November 4, 2010. Williams and another soldier from the Department of Combat Medic Training engaged in four days of disaster response learning with about 20 uniformed and civilian members of the Ghanaian military.

Ghanaian military conducts military medical response disaster drills with U.S military.

VICENZA, Italy,Jan 4, 2011 — Two U.S. soldiers from the Department of Combat Medic Training engaged in four days of disaster response learning with about 20 uniformed and civilian members of the Ghanaian military, November 1-5, 2010.

Sergeant Major Tony Williams and Sergeant 1st Class Israel Salinas of the 232nd Medical Battalion, stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, joined the exchange, which took place at the 37th Military Hospital in Accra.

The conceptual framework of military disaster response focused on response operations; principles of emergency management; planning, mitigation and recovery; command center operations; and the importance of surge capability, Williams said.

“The Ghanaian Army soldiers and civilians were receptive and excited about the information being delivered,” he said.

“This was my unit’s first encounter with the Ghanaian Army,” Williams said. “There may be future encounters, but I do not know when. There are many similar approaches to handling tragedies, such as tsunamis, flooding or earthquake. We discussed those events in detail and came up with specific solution sets to handle those problems.”

The lessons learned and the solutions studied apply to all militaries around the world that work for the benefit of their societies, said Williams.

“Having dedicated emergency managers and leadership support are keys to an effective emergency management program. Coordination and planning for the unexpected are key to minimize a tragic situation,” he said.

“This successful military-to-military traveling contact team event illustrates the important partnerships between U.S. Army Africa and MEDCOM in building African partner nation capabilities and capacity,” said Major Lee Clark, director of USARAF medical Theater Security Cooperation.

This is a continuation of the growing military relationship between both countries. Last fall, Ghana hosted the largest military communications interoperability and information sharing exercise in Africa with Africom.

U.S. flying Drones over Algeria

Another revealation from Wiki-leaks is that the U.S. is flying drones over Algeria with the backing of the government.

Algeria agreed in January to allow the United States to fly spy planes over its territory to hunt for Al-Qaeda bases in the Sahara, according to a leaked diplomatic cable published Dec. 7.  The French daily Le Monde uncovered the secret note in the trove of secret U.S. State Department correspondence released by the WikiLeaks website.

“No partner is more important than Algeria in the fight against Al-Qaeda,” the U.S. embassy in Algiers said, according to Le Monde’s French translation of the memo. “Algeria wants to be strategic partner, not a rival.”

Lockheed Martin EP-3 spy plane

The memo said that the planes would usually operate from the U.S. naval airbase in Rota, in southern Spain.

A previous memo, dated December 30 last year and published on WikiLeaks’ website, described the negotiations between U.S. officials and senior Algerian foreign ministry official Sabri Boukadoum that led to the deal.

The planes, Lockheed Martin EP-3 spy planes operated by the U.S. Navy, intercept radio and other electronic communications and will be tasked to overfly Algeria to patrol the skies over Mali and Mauritania, it said.

Al-Qaeda’s north African subsidiary – Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – has bases in the Mauritanian desert and regularly carries out kidnappings of Western civilians. It is holding five French and two African hostages.

The December memo said the United States has asked other governments in the region permission to make the flights and was awaiting their response.

On Dec. 7, a senior U.S. military leader in the region praised Algeria for leading the fight against Islamic militants in the Sahel region of northern Africa and said progress was being made.

“This is a regional issue where Algerian land forces have taken the leadership role and it is very impressive the progress that has been made,” said Major General David Hogg, the commander of U.S. Army Africa.

Algeria has led a high-profile military and political push also involving Mauritania, Mali and Niger against militants. The four countries have a joint command centre in the southern Algerian city of Tamanrasset

Being constant observers of the security threat spectrum in Africa, based on news reports, it was known that the Obama administration had significantly expanded the deployment of U.S. military Special Operations forces around the world against al Qaeda and other groups, Africa included.  This past summer, the Washington Post reported about this.

Special Operations forces have grown both in number and budget, and are deployed in 75 countries, compared with about 60 at the beginning of last year. In addition to units that have spent years in the Philippines and Colombia, teams are operating in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

Commanders are developing plans for increasing the use of such forces in Somalia, where a Special Operations raid last year killed the alleged head of al-Qaeda in East Africa. Plans exist for preemptive or retaliatory strikes in numerous places around the world, meant to be put into action when a plot has been identified, or after an attack linked to a specific group.

The surge in Special Operations deployments, along with intensified CIA drone attacks in western Pakistan, is the other side of the national security doctrine of global engagement and domestic values President Obama released last week.

One advantage of using “secret” forces for such missions is that they rarely discuss their operations in public. For a Democratic president such as Obama, who is criticized from either side of the political spectrum for too much or too little aggression, the unacknowledged CIA drone attacks in Pakistan, along with unilateral U.S. raids in Somalia and joint operations in Yemen, provide politically useful tools.

Obama, one senior military official said, has allowed “things that the previous administration did not.”.

Algeria has made the decision to become a strategic partner with the U.S., which in the long run has benefits not just from a security perspective with defensive technology exchanges but also added economic benefit with  increased American investments in the country.  This partnership is rational given that both countries share the same security concerns of terrorism.

Africa Endeavor Planning Conference Ends in Mauritius

PORT LOUIS, Mauritius - Brigadier General Robert Ferrell, U.S. Africa Command's director of C4 Systems (left), greets Colonel Wilson Tembo, the delegation chief representing the African Union.

Next year’s Africa Endeavor military exercises have been set to schedule.

After a full week of briefings and discussions, the first planning conference for communications exercise Africa Endeavor 2011 came to a close on November 11, 2010 in Port Louis, Mauritius.

In cooperation with the government of Mauritius, delegations from 35 African nations came together to plan for the U.S. Africa Command- sponsored exercise Africa Endeavor 2011, the largest military communications interoperability and information sharing exercise in Africa.

The week kicked off with opening comments from African and U.S. senior leaders addressing more than 140 participants from 35 different nations.

U.S. Ambassador to Mauritius Mary Jo Wills talked about how important Africa is to the United States and to the world. In her remarks, she referenced President Obama’s remarks in Ghana last year when he talked about the United States’ commitment to Africa, emphasizing that Africa’s prosperity, health and security, and strength of democracy is interconnected with that of the global community.

Brigadier General Robert Ferrell, U.S. Africa Command’s director of C4 Systems, told the delegates that their planning efforts are a step forward towards achieving a common goal by incorporating a regional-based application to the proposed exercise scenario.

One of the delegates, Captain Farell Folly of Benin, who was part of the AE Exercises for the past three years, was recognized as a central figure during the planning conference, serving as an interface between the AE11′s Executive Management Board (EMB) and the working groups. The EMB is made up of senior military delegates from participating countries, and the regional working groups are comprised of multinational military communications professionals. Folly’s role for the exercise was to help participants in the working groups achieve the training objectives established by the EMB.

PORT LOUIS, Mauritius - Captain Farell Folly from Benin (center) presents ideas on how to develop effective communications procedures during one of the working group sessions for the Africa Endeavor 2011 initial planning conference, November 8-11, 2010.

He talked about how far the AE exercise has come over the past few years. “In 2010, we worked to see if the equipment each unit had could even talk to each other. Now, in 2011, instead of focusing on testing equipment, we are focusing on developing procedures on how to communicate at all levels…platoon, brigade and company, and between the different regions in Africa,” said Folly.

Lieutenant Colonel David Schilling of U.S. Army Africa was the U.S. delegation lead for this planning conference. He explained that there are four levels to achieving full interoperability. The base level or bottom of the pyramid is the human level–or the ability to establish relationships and identify a common objective. The next level up is the technical level, which according to Shilling, was the level of the exercise in 2010. “It is the level where we deal primarily with getting the hardware to getting the hardware to talk to each other,” he said.

The third level from the bottom is the procedural level. This is the part that is being worked for AE11 in preparation for the final operational level. “Bottom line…in the procedural level, we are working to make sure that what we say and mean is the same thing that others are saying and meaning…and is interpreted and understood that way,” said Schilling.

The purpose of Africa Endeavor is to build the capacity of African nations to exchange information through compatible communication networks.

“These networks will not only facilitate communication on the continent but form the basis for collaborative links with the United States, African Union and other international partners,” said Ambassador Wills.

Ferrell explained that the AE exercise is tied to real world requirements and how working together across borders will help mitigate the aftermath of natural disasters and other perils. “…because disasters and diseases do not stop at national borders, our communication efforts must therefore follow the same model if we are to be effective.”

The initial planning conference for AE11 concluded on November 11. Two additional conferences will be held in early 2011 in preparation for the actual exercise that will take place in Bamako, Mali in late June.

Previous posts on African Endeavor can be found here and here.

Ugandan People’s Defence Air Force Chief visits Africa Command’s Ramstein Air Base

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany - Ugandan People's Defence Air Force Chief Major General Jim Owoyesigire (left) shakes the hand of Major General Margaret Woodward, commander of 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa), during his visit to 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa) and Team Ramstein November 10, 2010.

Ugandan People’s Defence Air Force Chief Major General Jim Owoyesigire visited 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa) and other units at Ramstein Air Base and at Spangdahlem Air Base November 9-11, 2010, marking the first visit of an African Air Chief since 17th AF stood up in October 2008 as the air component for U.S. Africa Command.

The series of meetings and orientations were the latest step in the strengthening of an “already fantastic” relationship with the UDPAF, according to 17th AF Commander Major General Margaret H. Woodward.

“We’re very proud of the relationship we have enjoyed with the UPDAF, but this visit has taken it to a higher level,” she said. “We had very good opportunities for General Jim [Owoyesigire] and I to learn from one another. General Jim likes to talk about how much he’s learned from us, but I think the reverse is also true. We only get stronger when we learn other perspectives, so it’s been very productive.”

Sharing expertise has been a consistent theme of the interaction between 17th AF and the UPDAF, according to Owoyesigire, who explained that 17th has intensified the cooperation that was previously conducted by U.S. European Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

The Ugandan Air Chief said he began learning from the U.S. Air Force during a visit to Ramstein in 2007, when the base hosted an African Air Chief’s conference, and gleaned more during this visit to propel his young force, now in its fifth year as an independent branch of the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces.

“This experience has enhanced my own capability as a commander,” Owoyesigire said. “I hope I can go back and put this into implementation to improve our UPDAF.”

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany - (Left to right) Captain Jeffrey Gipson of the 7th Weather Squadron demonstrates weather equipment used in contingency environments to Ugandan People's Defence Air Force Chief Major General Jim Owoyesigire and Deputy Operations Coordinator Major Chris Kasaija during a visit by the Ugandan Air Chief to 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa) and Team Ramstein November 10, 2010.

Despite the UDPAF’s developing status as an independent force, it is, like the rest of the Ugandan forces, part of a dynamic and influential nation in the east African region, and a major player in security and stability in this region, Woodward said. She cited both Uganda’s role in the African Union Mission in Somalia, and their fight against the terrorist organization known as the Lord’s Resistance Army.

“We are obviously very proud of our partners in everything they’ve been doing, especially taking a leadership role in AMISOM in Somalia and taking on the LRA–pushing them back and protecting women and children from some very horrific acts perpetrated by these criminals,” Woodward said.

Help from U.S. Africa Command and 17th AF has been a key enabler for the UPDAF’s contribution to these missions, Owoyesigire explained.

“When we started in AMISOM, we had no airlift capability,” Owoyesigire said. “General Ward came and visited and helped us to partner with the U.S. Air Force to get this airlift capability. To get training, 17th AF came and trained us in loading cargo and airdrops, and this has really helped us.

“This allows us Africans to solve the problems on the African continent. We have eased the suffering of [refugees], providing them food, water and safe passage. We have denied locations where terrorists used to operate from–these are very big achievements for us. We appreciate what AFRICOM is doing here and in other parts of Africa. If the work continues, we move toward living on a peaceful continent,” Owoyesigire said.

The itinerary for the visit included stops at the 86th Airlift and 435th Air Ground Operations Wings and Spangdahlem’s 52nd Fighter Wing, along with the KMC’s Kisling NCO Academy. The presentations centered on sharing expertise in everything from airlift operations and aircraft maintenance to NCO development. General Woodward thanked all the participants, saying that one thing evident throughout was the role of the professional NCO and how a well-trained NCO corps can be the backbone of an air force.

“USAFE and AFAFRICA coming together to put this visit together and make a very memorable experience for General Jim shows how our effective collaboration is a force multiplier, especially in building partnerships,” Woodward said. “We really appreciate our partners here at Ramstein and Spangdahlem taking the time to make such valued contributions to this visit.”

Owoyesigire said lessons learned from the visit will shape the next steps in cooperation between 17th AF and the UPDAF.

This is continued engagement between the Ugandan People’s Defence Force, Ugandan People’s Defence Air Force and Air Forces Africa. This is a follow up meeting that took place this past summer. This continued effort by both sides will only deepen the partnership between the Ugandan armed services and U.S. military.