The Force Commander, Multinational Joint Task Force (FC MNJTF) Major General Abdul Khalifah attended the African Land Forces Summit in Columbus Georgia on the invitation of the United States Army from 21 to 25 Mar 2022.
The Summit which had as its theme “ Resilient Institutions Build Resilient Leaders” was attended by delegates from over forty (40) countries (mainly African) and other organizations like the United Nations and the African Union
The non African countries that attended include Brazil, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Addressing the gathering, the Commanding General United States Army Southern European Task Force Africa, Major General Andrew Rohling, and and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for African Affairs, Ms Chidi Blyden, in their opening remarks, said the purpose of the summit was to bring land force chiefs from across Africa and other partner nations to observe military institutions and discuss how to build leaders that can resolve complex trans-regional threats.
The summit was to enable senior military Leaders from across Africa have the opportunity to solidify relationships, exchange information on current topics of mutual interest and encourage cooperation in addressing challenges.
It also allow for discussion on various aspects of Defence leadership including security concerns and partnership building.
The summit included plenary sessions on Overview of the US Army’s approach to training, Training and Doctrine Command, Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) Capabilities brief, and Army Futures Command.
There were breakout sessions where the participants were divided into different discussion groups to share ideas on various topics. There were daily visits to Fort Benning, a Manouver Centre of Excellence where participants were shown the training facility and also shown the US Army’s basic training and Airborne training which included helicopter flights for all participants.
There was also live fire from tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, TOW missiles, and machine guns among other infantry and Armour weapons. Participants had opportunity to visit the National Infantry Museum where the history of the infantry was on display, spanning many centuries. There was also the Women’s History dinner where the history of the rise of the female gender in the US military was showcased with the Deputy Commanding General of the United States Army Southern European Task Force Africa, Brigadier General Aida Borras, giving a good account of the female gender.
The Chief of Staff of the US Army, General McConville who attended the summit addressed the participants and enjoined them to cooperate in order to overcome security challenges.
This was contained in a statement issued by Chief of Military Public Information. Pictures below:
