The Commander of Special Operations U.S. African Command (AFRICOM), Rear Admiral Milton J. “Jamie” Sands III, will speak on the ongoing 14-day special operations holding in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
Exercise Flintlock which is USAFRICOM’s largest special operations exercise began on March 1, 2023 and is scheduled to end on 15 March 2023.
It involves some 1,300 military personnel from 30 different countries.
U.S. forces have historically partnered with Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire through multiple military and civil affairs exchanges.
Last year, Cote d’Ivoire hosted Flintlock 2022 with more than 400 participants from 10 nations.
The 2023 iteration aims to continue reinforcing the collective ability of allied and partner nations to address key security challenges.
According to USAFRICOM, Exercise Flintlock intends to strengthen the ability of key partner nations in the West African region to counter violent extremist organizations, collaborate across borders, and provide security for their people, while respecting human rights and building trust with civilian populations.
The Special Operations Command Africa’s Commander, Rear Admiral Jamie Sands, will speak via the African Regional Media Hub of U.S. State Department on Monday March 13, 2023.
Since 2005, Flintlock has been conducted in the Sahel region of Africa among countries participating in the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Partnership.
Rear Admiral Sands is scheduled to discuss the security situation across Africa, give expert opinion about the threat of violent extremism, and highlight the special operations exercise Flintlock currently taking place in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
The hosting of the event by Ghana is a testament to the strength of U.S.-Ghana bilateral cooperation.
Ghana now serves as the location of a future enduring, rotational detachment of Seabees and Marines that would be able to respond to regional maritime infrastructure projects in the Gulf of Guinea.
To show the strength of the bilateral relationship, the Ghanaian Navy, the U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF) and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa (MARFORAF) deployed a team of engineers to Sogakope, Ghana, to conduct maritime infrastructure projects since September 15, 2022.
During the six month rotational deployment, Seabees from Commander, Task Force (CTF) 68 assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 and Marines from 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group have worked alongside Ghanaian engineers to improve the Ghanaian Navy’s capability to conduct maritime training, interdiction, and security operations in their territorial waters.
With support from Royal Danish Defense forces, the joint and combined team will also make critical construction builds or repairs to a mobile camp facility at the Ghana Navy Training command (NAVTRAC) in preparation for the NAVAF-led exercise Obangame Express 2023 and the U.S. Special Operations Command Africa-led Exercise Flintlock.
