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U.S. Army Southern European Task
U.S. military and interagency planners designing the exercise scenario for Exercise African Lion gather at the Joint Staff Suffolk Complex Dec. 9, 2022. The group of nearly 50 experts across dozens of joint functions and interagency disciplines developed a robust scenario that will test the warfighting capabilities of U.S. Africa Command and its service components, principally the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa. (Joint Staff photo)
Photo by: Maj. Cain Claxton
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19th Special Forces Group (Airbo
U.S. Army AH-64D “Apache” attack helicopters, assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, Utah Army National Guard, participate in a training exercise with partner nations to demonstrate the capabilities of multinational armies working together simultaneously in a combined arms live-fire mission during African Lion 22, June 28, 2022. African Lion 22 is U.S. Africa Command's largest, premier, joint, combined annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia, June 6 - 30. More than 7,500 participants from 28 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner-nation forces. AL22 is a joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employing a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperadurbility among participants and set the theater for strategic access. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Mackenzie Willden)
Photo by: Spc. Mackenzie Willden
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U.S. Africa Command
B-1B Lancer bombers from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, fly with Royal Moroccan Air Force F-16 and F-5 aircraft off the coast of Morocco, June 30, 2022, in support of African Lion 2022. African Lion 2022 (AL22) is U.S. Africa Command's largest, premier, joint, annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, June 6 - 30. More than 7,500 participants from 28 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner nation forces. AL22 is a joint all-domain, multi component, and multinational exercise, employing a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access.
(U.S. Air Force Courtesy Photo)
Photo by: SETAF-Africa Public Affairs
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
Free Groove, U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s premier jazz ensemble, performs in a concert as part of the U.S. Embassy sponsored African Lion 2022 Tour in Agadir, Morocco, June 26, 2022, during African Lion 2022. African Lion 2022 is U.S. Africa Command's largest, premier, joint, annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, June 6 - 30. More than 7,500 participants from 28 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner nation forces. AL22 is a joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employing a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bridget Vian)
Photo by: Staff Sgt. Bridget Vian
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
U.S. Army Special Forces and Royal Moroccan Special Operations jump from a Boeing CH-47 Chinook at high altitude during exercise African Lion 2022 at TanTan, Morocco, Africa, on June 23, 2022. AL22 is U.S. Africa Command's largest, premier, joint, combined annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia, June 6 - 30. More than 7,500 participants from 28 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner-nation forces. AL22 is a joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employing a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Christopher Hall)
Photo by: SETAF-Africa Public Affairs
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USS Arlington (LPD 24)
220617-N-PC065-1008 GABES, Tunisia (June 17, 2022) The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Arlington (LPD 24) approaches the pier as Arlington arrives in Gabes, Tunisia for exercise African Lion 2022, June 17, 2022. African Lion 22 is a multinational-scale exercise focused on increasing training and interoperability between U.S., partners and allies in Africa to work toward increased security and stability within the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Bellino)
Photo by: Petty Officer 1st Class John Bel
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
U.S. Army Sgt. Andrew McCoy, an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, 760th Ordnance Company, Fort Drum, New York, receives notional medical assistance during a heat casualty exercise conducted alongside the Tunisian Armed Forces at a medical facility on a Tunisian Armed Forces base during Africa Lion 22 in Bizerte, Tunisia, June 22, 2022. African Lion 2022 is U.S. Africa Command's largest, premier, joint, annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, June 6 - 30. More than 7,500 participants from 28 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner nation forces. AL22 is a joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employing a full array of mission capabilities with the goal of strengthening interoperability among participants and setting the theater for strategic access. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ian Safford, 105th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
Photo by: Staff Sgt. Ian Safford
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
A Senegalese Armed Forces (SAF) soldier practices firing an M-4 carbine during African Lion 22 in Dodji, Senegal, June 24, 2022. African Lion 22 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest, premier, joint, annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, June 6-30. More than 7,500 participants from 28 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner nation forces. AL22 is a joint all-domain, multi-component and multinational exercise, employing a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access.(U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Zachary Myers)
Photo by: SETAF-Africa Public Affairs
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
Soldier of the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) service members supported a U.S. Africa Command joint task force command post exercise on April 14, 2022, in Vicenza, Italy.
On short notice, the JECC provides planners, public affairs specialists, and communications capabilities to Combatant Commanders in order to enable the rapid establishment of a Joint Force Headquarters or in support of other missions, exercises, or planning efforts. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Solomon Abanda)
Photo by: Staff Sgt. Solomon Abanda
SUFFOLK, Virginia — U.S. military and interagency planners finished designing the scenario for Exercise African Lion 23 at the Joint Staff Suffolk Complex Dec. 5-16.
The group of nearly 50 experts across all joint functions and several interagency disciplines developed a robust scenario that they think will test the warfighting capabilities of U.S. Africa Command and its service components, principally the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF).
The Joint Staff J7 Directorate for Joint Training hosted the planners in Suffolk, where they culminated months of collaboration on an exercise scenario to capture dozens of training objectives for AFRICOM and the joint force.
“African Lion 23 increases Joint Force readiness by challenging AFRICOM and component staffs to respond to a high intensity conflict across all domains,” said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Clarence Jernigan, AFRICOM exercises desk officer for the Joint Staff J7 in Suffolk.
African Lion 23 is supported by the Joint Training Tool to help plan and prepare exercise events, said AFRICOM Simulation Lead Planner Army Maj. Alvin “Cav” Cavalier. The JTT is an online collaboration tool used to synchronize various scenario events, he said.
“African Lion will use the Joint Live Virtual Constructive architecture which enables the joint force to fight from one common operating picture and provide critical simulation requirements during execution,” said Cavalier.
“The exercise is designed to test how well we plan, prepare, and execute joint planning across the joint force.”
All AFRICOM components will be tested in African Lion 23, but the primary U.S. training audience for the exercise is once again the U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s SETAF-AF, based in Vicenza, Italy.
“This is the fifth time Exercise African Lion has tested SETAF-AF’s ability to provide a joint task force headquarters to AFRICOM,” said Army Maj. Matt James, SETAF-AF operations officer. “With each one, we learn something new about ourselves, about near-peer adversaries, and always about how to work with our African partners.”
Exercise African Lion 23 starts in January in Stuttgart, Germany, when the AFRICOM staff will identify a fictional emerging crisis in Africa. Then in March, AFRICOM components will support the SETAF-AF-led JTF command post exercise. Finally, in June, African Lion will culminate with various field, maritime, air and medical training exercises in Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal and Ghana.
“Exercise African Lion has no peer in Africa,” said Army Lt. Col. Bradley Vance, U.S. Africa Command lead African Lion 23 planner. According to Vance, four African countries will host African Lion exercise activities in 2023—Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal and Ghana.
“When it comes to defense and security cooperation through exercises and security force assistance, the U.S. is the clear partner of choice in Africa,” he said.
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) is responsible for achieving U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Campaign Plan objectives while conducting all U.S. Army operations, exercises and security cooperation on the African continent.
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