DRAWSKO POMORSKIE TRAINING AREA, Poland--A Lithuanian army tactical air control party trains with multinational providers of close air support during Operation Steadfast Jazz here Nov. 5.

NATO and partner nations are conduct Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 in Latvia and in Poland from Nov. 2 through 9. The event will mark the culmination of a series of dynamic and demanding exercises designed to train and test troops and commanders from the NATO Response Force (NRF).

The Steadfast series of exercises are part of NATO's efforts to maintain connected and interoperable forces at a high-level of readiness. To date, 17 exercises have been held in the series, with elements hosted in 14 different countries. The goal is to make sure that NRF troops are ready to deal with any situation in any environment. (NATO photo by US Army Sgt. A.M. LaVey/173 Airborne Public Affairs)

Algirdas Butkevicius (left), Prime Minister of Lithuania, Andris Berzins (2nd from left), President of Latvia, Bronislaw Komorowski (centre), President of Poland, Anders Fogh Rasmussen (2nd from right), NATO Secretary General, and Gen. Knud Bartels (right), Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, at the Press Event after the LIVEX demonstration on Exercise Steadfast Jazz at the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, on Nov. 7, 2013.

Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 is taking place from 1-9 November in a number of Alliance nations including the Baltic States and Poland. The purpose of the exercise is to train and test the NATO Response Force, a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and special forces components that the Alliance can deploy quickly wherever needed. The Steadfast series of exercises are part of NATO’s efforts to maintain connected and interoperable forces at a high-level of readiness.

(NATO photo/SSgt Ian Houlding GBR Army)

A Japanese soldier measures the wind value while conducting scout sniper training during Iron Fist 2014 at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 31, 2014. Iron Fist is a three-week bilateral training event held annually between the U.S. Marine Corps and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force designed to increase interoperability between the two services while aiding the Japanese in their continued development of amphibious capabilities. (DoD photo by Cpl. Emmanuel Ramos, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)

Soldiers in the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) stand in formation during the opening ceremony of MEDREACH 11 held at the Kamuzu Barracks.

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Zack Zimerman, 139th MPAD, Illinois Army National Guard

Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and U.S. military service members officially kicked-off exercise MEDREACH 11 with an opening ceremony May 3 at the Kamuzu Barracks.

The program brought the MDF shoulder to shoulder with the United States military in a symbolic display of the unity that has been created between the two forces.

Looking out at the joint formation of approximately 300 MDF and U.S. forces, Malawi Defence Force Commander Gen. Marko Chiziko said he appreciates the differences between the MDF and U.S. military and looks forward to the great exchange of information between the personnel working together in MEDREACH 11.

“Both the U.S. Military and the MDF are renowned for their professionalism and for being accountable to their citizens,” said Chiziko. “This exercise is one of the positive steps to that noble goal and I wish to put that on the record.”

MEDREACH 11 is a joint effort between the Malawi Defence Force and the United States military with an immediate focus on medical outreach to Malawi civilians, but an even greater focus on fostering a long-term relationship with the people of Malawi. It is expected that both the MDF and the U.S. Armed Forces, consisting of U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force components, will learn valuable lessons from one another.

“This day is the culmination of over a year and a half of discussions and planning by the Malawi Defence Force and the U.S. Africa Command,” said Craig Anderson, U.S. acting deputy ambassador to Malawi. “I am very happy and very honored to be here today.”

Expressing his pride in working the Malawi Defence Force and colleagues from the United States Department of Defense, Anderson directed his attention to the nearly 100 U.S. Soldiers and Airmen that traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to be a part of MEDREACH 11.

“That you are willing to do this is a testament to two of the attributes that mark us as Americans; the wiliness to help others and to stand by our friends,” Anderson said. “The MDF is one of our finest partners on this continent. They deserve our best effort. I know that you will do everything possible to bring the highest credit upon yourselves and the United States of America during your time here in Malawi.”

As Anderson and Chiziko marched onto the field and unfurled the exercise banner, Pfc. Chris M. Bakeman, a Fridley, Minn. native stood in formation eagerly awaiting the days ahead in the exercise.

“I am very excited to team up with the Malawi Defence Force,” said Bakeman, a 21-year-old human resource specialist currently serving with the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB), the unit responsible for command and control of U.S. MEDREACH 11 participants.

Based in Chicago, the 404th MEB is responsible for providing logistical and operational support for all units supporting MEDREACH 11. The exercise is its first command and control mission under U.S. Army Africa, the Army Service Component Command that oversees and coordinates U.S. Army activities in Africa.

“I think some may come in with the idea that they are going to teach the Malawi Defence Force, but I think that’s going to end up being entirely opposite,” Bakeman said. “We are going to learn so much just by going back and forth with each other. I certainly hope that we will teach them many things, but they can teach us many things about their culture and how they do things as well.”

Anderson said that while MEDREACH 11 is only officially 16 days in total, the connection and relationships built on the exercise will become a catalyst for future partnership between the Malawi Defense Force and the United States military.

“The people of Malawi are some of our staunchest friends,” Anderson said. “Training exercises like MEDREACH 11 are excellent examples of the cooperation possible between our two militaries and our two nations as we work for a more peaceful, stable and prosperous world.”

MEDREACH, a key program in the United States’ efforts to partner with the Government of Malawi, is the latest in a series of exercises involving U.S. military forces and African partner militaries with the aim of establishing and developing military interoperability, regional relationships, synchronization of effort and capacity-building. The goal of MEDREACH 11 is to enhance U.S. and Malawi Defence Forces capabilities to work together and to increase the combined readiness of their medical forces to respond to humanitarian emergencies.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) logisticians load palletized material during a hands-on segment of Uganda ADAPT 2010, a mentoring program conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, that resulted in certifying 25 soldiers as C-130 aircraft load planners.

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) logisticians load palletized material during a hands-on segment of Uganda ADAPT 2010, a mentoring program conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, that resulted in certifying 25 soldiers as C-130 aircraft load planners.

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

The nuts and bolts — Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) logisticians load palletized material during a hands-on segment of Uganda ADAPT 2010, a mentoring program conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, that resulted in certifying 25 soldiers as C-130 aircraft load planners.

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

As part of Exercise Saber Junction 14, Bulgarian soldiers attacked and cleared a village against opposing forces of 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment Soldiers Aug. 30 at Hohenfels Training Area. Exercise Saber Junction 2014 includes participants from the U.S., NATO allies and European security partners, conducting unified land operations at the 7th Army's Joint Multinational Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area. The exercise trains units in the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations while improving international interoperability, commitment to NATO and allied nations and strategic access to critical areas within the European Command's area of responsibility. More information about Saber Junction 2014 can be found at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction/ (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina Dion/Released)

As part of Exercise Saber Junction 14, Bulgarian soldiers attacked and cleared a village against opposing forces of 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment Soldiers Aug. 30 at Hohenfels Training Area. Exercise Saber Junction 2014 includes participants from the U.S., NATO allies and European security partners, conducting unified land operations at the 7th Army's Joint Multinational Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area. The exercise trains units in the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations while improving international interoperability, commitment to NATO and allied nations and strategic access to critical areas within the European Command's area of responsibility. More information about Saber Junction 2014 can be found at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction/ (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina Dion/Released)

The Hohenfels Training Area as seen by U.S. Soldiers of Regimental Engineer Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment as they conduct reconnaissance operations during exercise Saber Junction 15 at the U.S. Armyâs Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, April 27, 2015. Saber Junction 15 prepares NATO and partner nation forces for offensive, defensive, and stability operations and promotes interoperability among participants. Saber Junction 15 has more than 4,700 participants from 17 countries, to include: Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, and the U.S. More at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Tyler Kingsbury)

After walking about 3 kilometers through forests, Paratroopers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, made their way from the air assault infiltration location and tactically moved on foot through thick vegetation. Their objective was to conduct a deliberate attack on the military operations on an urban terrain site known as Haaslat Village at Hohenfels Training Area Aug. 28. Exercise Saber Junction 2014 includes participants from the U.S., NATO allies and European security partners, conducting unified land operations at the 7th Army's Joint Multinational Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area. The exercise trains units in the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations while improving international interoperability, commitment to NATO and allied nations and strategic access to critical areas within the European Command's area of responsibility. More information about Saber Junction 2014 can be found at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction/ (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina M. Dion/Released)

A Polish F-16 takes off during the first day of the air portion of Ex Steadfast Jazz at 31st Air Tactical Base, Poznan, Poland, on Nov. 5, 2013.

Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 is taking place from 1-9 November in a number of Alliance nations including the Baltic States and Poland. The purpose of the exercise is to train and test the NATO Response Force, a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and special forces components that the Alliance can deploy quickly wherever needed. The Steadfast series of exercises are part of NATO’s efforts to maintain connected and interoperable forces at a high-level of readiness.

(NATO photo/SSgt Ian Houlding GBR Army)

Polish troops conduct a march past during the Opening Ceremony for Ex STEADFAST JAZZ on the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, on Nov. 3, 2013.

Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 is taking place from 1-9 November in a number of Alliance nations including the Baltic States and Poland. The purpose of the exercise is to train and test the NATO Response Force, a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and special forces components that the Alliance can deploy quickly wherever needed. The Steadfast series of exercises are part of NATO’s efforts to maintain connected and interoperable forces at a high-level of readiness.

(NATO photo/SSgt Ian Houlding GBR Army)

Crew of a Polish Wolvarine Armoured Personnel Carrier practice demounting and taking up defencive positions during a live fire exercise on Exercise Steadfast Jazz at the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, on Nov. 6, 2013.

Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 is taking place from 1-9 November in a number of Alliance nations including the Baltic States and Poland. The purpose of the exercise is to train and test the NATO Response Force, a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and special forces components that the Alliance can deploy quickly wherever needed. The Steadfast series of exercises are part of NATO’s efforts to maintain connected and interoperable forces at a high-level of readiness.

(NATO photo/SSgt Ian Houlding GBR Army)

MUARA, Brunei (June 18, 2013) Malaysian Lt. Col. Dr. Ngoo Kay Seong, left, speaks with the U.S. Navy medical professionals at a Level 2 hospital as part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief and Military Medicine Exercise (AHMX). Surgeons, doctors and nurses from the armed forces of India, Malaysia and the U.S. began providing care to simulated casualties during the multilateral exercise, which provides a platform for regional partner nations to address shared security challenges, strengthen defense cooperation, enhance interoperability and promote stability in the region.

Jumpmaster, U.S. Army Capt. Craig D. Arnold, commander of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., looks out the window of the C-130J aircraft to prepare for a partnership jump over the Mimosa Flat Drop Zone, South Africa, July 23. The jump was in preparation for an exercise that South African and U.S. Soldiers will conduct jointly during Shared Accord 13. Shared Accord is a biennial training exercise which promotes regional relationships, increases capacity, trains U.S. and South African forces, and furthers cross-training and interoperability. The jump also earned each Soldier a pair of foreign wings for either jumping in a foreign country or jumping with a foreign country’s jumpmasters. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Spc. Taryn Hagerman)

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Bryan Quinn (left), Pope Air Force Base, N.C., poses for a photo with a Uganda People's Defense Force logistic soldier during a hands-on segment of Uganda ADAPT 2010, a mentoring program conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, that resulted in certifying 25 soldiers as C-130 aircraft load planners.

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

As part of Exercise Saber Junction 14, Bulgarian soldiers attacked and cleared a village against opposing forces of 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment Soldiers Aug. 30 at Hohenfels Training Area. Exercise Saber Junction 2014 includes participants from the U.S., NATO allies and European security partners, conducting unified land operations at the 7th Army's Joint Multinational Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area. The exercise trains units in the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations while improving international interoperability, commitment to NATO and allied nations and strategic access to critical areas within the European Command's area of responsibility. More information about Saber Junction 2014 can be found at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction/ (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina Dion/Released)

(from left to right) Army Lt. Col. Dickie J. Vest, 176th Medical Brigade, South African Army Maj. Ron Tidbury, 43rd South African Brigade, and 2nd Lt. Jessica A. Morley, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Armored Brigade Combat Team, discuss plans for Shared Accord '13 at a reconnaissance site near Bhisho, South Africa, July 20. Shared Accord is an annual training exercise which promotes regional relationships, increases capacity, trains U.S. and South African forces, and furthers cross-training and interoperability. (U.S. Army Africa photos by Spc. Taryn Hagerman)

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

A british soldier is mapping the current position of the enemy. Exercise Allied Spirit includes more than 2,000 participants from Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. Allied Spirit is exercising tactical interoperability and testing secure communications within Alliance members. More at www.eur.army.mil/JMTC/AlliedSpirit.html. (NATO Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Stefan Hass - DEUA)

Opposing forces Soldier Pvt. Clinton Lopez of Mcloud, Okla., fires a squad assault weapon at Bulgarian forces advancing to the mock village. As part of Exercise Saber Junction 14, Bulgarian soldiers attacked and cleared a village against opposing forces of 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment Soldiers Aug. 30 at Hohenfels Training Area. Exercise Saber Junction 2014 includes participants from the U.S., NATO allies and European security partners, conducting unified land operations at the 7th Army's Joint Multinational Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area. The exercise trains units in the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations while improving international interoperability, commitment to NATO and allied nations and strategic access to critical areas within the European Command's area of responsibility. More information about Saber Junction 2014 can be found at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction/ (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina Dion/Released)

Cpt. Jason Smedley, with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment out of Little Rock, Ark., discusses basic rifle marksmanship skills with Soldiers from Burkina Faso during Exercise Western Accord 14, June 19. Exercise Western Accord is a partnership exercise between the United States, Economic Community of West Africa States and other partnered nations, which is designed to increase interoperability between military forces and ensure the common ability to conduct peace operations throughout Western Africa. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. William Gore)

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official Vimeo video channel: www.vimeo.com/usarmyafrica

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

A Soldier with the 9th South African Infantry Battalion reacts to a near ambush by opposition forces as smoke grenades go off nearby July 26 near Alicedale, South Africa, part of Shared Accord 13. Shared Accord is a biennial training exercise designed to increase capacity and enhance interoperability across the South African and U.S. militaries. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Spc. Taryn Hagerman)

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

The NATO flag is raised during the Opening Ceremony for Ex STEADFAST JAZZ at the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, on Nov. 3, 2013.

Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 is taking place from 1-9 November in a number of Alliance nations including the Baltic States and Poland. The purpose of the exercise is to train and test the NATO Response Force, a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and special forces components that the Alliance can deploy quickly wherever needed. The Steadfast series of exercises are part of NATO’s efforts to maintain connected and interoperable forces at a high-level of readiness.

(NATO photo/SSgt Ian Houlding GBR Army)

Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) logisticians load palletized material during a hands-on segment of Uganda ADAPT 2010, a mentoring program conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, that resulted in certifying 25 soldiers as C-130 aircraft load planners.

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

A soldier from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force uses camouflage to go unnoticed as he sights in during Exercise Iron Fist 2014 aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Feb. 10, 2014. Iron Fist is an amphibious exercise that brings together Marines and sailors from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, other I Marine Expeditionary Force units, and soldiers from the JGSDF, to promote military interoperability and hone individual and small-unit skills through challenging, complex and realistic training. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ricardo Hurtado/Released)

Battle Group Poland U.S. Soldiers practice a variety of combat casualty care tasks such as how to control bleeding, treat fractures and evacuate casualties using various buddy-carrying and litter techniques near the Bemowo Piskie Training Area during Saber Strike 17 June 9, 2017. Saber Strike 17 is a U.S. Army Europe-led multinational combined forces exercise conducted annually to enhance the NATO alliance throughout the Baltic region and Poland. This year’s exercise includes integrated and synchronized deterrence-oriented training designed to improve interoperability and readiness of the 20 participating nations’ militaries. (U.S. Army photo by Charles Rosemond, Training Support Team Orzysz)

As part of Exercise Saber Junction 14, Bulgarian soldiers attacked and cleared a village against opposing forces of 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment Soldiers Aug. 30 at Hohenfels Training Area. Exercise Saber Junction 2014 includes participants from the U.S., NATO allies and European security partners, conducting unified land operations at the 7th Army's Joint Multinational Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area. The exercise trains units in the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations while improving international interoperability, commitment to NATO and allied nations and strategic access to critical areas within the European Command's area of responsibility. More information about Saber Junction 2014 can be found at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction/ (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina Dion/Released)

Soldiers from 14 nations took part in the Rapid Trident 2018 closing ceremony, Sept. 14. Rapid Trident is an annual exercise that builds military interoperability through establishing professional relationships and sharing shoulder-to-shoulder experiences. (US Army photo by Lacey Justinger, 7th Army Training Command)

A Bulgarian soldier of the Engineer Platoon secures a steel picket used to construct a wire obstacle during exercise Saber Junction 15 at the U.S. Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, April 21, 2015. Saber Junction 15 prepares NATO and partner nation forces for offensive, defensive and stability operations and promotes interoperability among participants. Saber Junction 15 has more than 4,700 participants from 17 countries, to include: Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Turkey and the U.S. More at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gemma Iglesias/Released)

Spanish engineers and Soldiers of the 1st platoon of U.S. Army Europe's 541st Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, head out on a route clearance mission during exercise Interdict 2012 in Spain, Oct. 31. The exercise hosted by the Spanish engineers was designed to foster and enhance interoperability and skills among engineer units practicing counter-improvised explosive device operations based on several IED events during a route clearance scenario. (Photo by Lt. Col. Wayne Marotto)

Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) logisticians study vehicle measurement techniques during a hands-on segment of Uganda ADAPT 2010, a mentoring program conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, that resulted in certifying 25 soldiers as C-130 aircraft load planners.

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

Soldiers from 14 nations took part in the Rapid Trident 2018 closing ceremony, Sept. 14. Rapid Trident is an annual exercise that builds military interoperability through establishing professional relationships and sharing shoulder-to-shoulder experiences. (US Army photo by Lacey Justinger, 7th Army Training Command)

A Hungarian soldier assigned to the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Brigade provides security while holding a defensive position during exercise Saber Junction 15 at the U.S. Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, April 20, 2015. Saber Junction 15 prepares NATO and partner nation forces for offensive, defensive, and stability operations and promotes interoperability among participants. Saber Junction 15 has more than 4,700 participants from 17 countries, to include: Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, and the U.S. More at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Brian Chaney/Released)

Military personnel representing more than 30 African nations erect communications equipment at an air force base in Lusaka, Zambia, Aug. 10, 2013, during exercise Africa Endeavor 2013. Africa Endeavor is a U.S. Africa Command-sponsored multinational communications exercise intended to encourage interoperability and information exchange among African nations via communications networks and subsequent collaborative links with the United States, the African Union and other African nations. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Zach Sheely/Released)

Elements of U.S. Army Europe's 2nd Cavalry Regiment head towards Hahnbach, a town near Grafenwoehr, Germany, during Saber Junction 2012, Oct. 15.The U.S. Army in Europe's exercise Saber Junction trains U.S. personnel and more than 1800 multinational partners from 18 European nations, ensuring interoperability between forces and an agile, ready coalition force.(U.S. Army Europe photo by Visual Information Specialist Markus Rauchenberger/Released)

A German Army Leopard II tank commander, assigned to 104th Panzer Battalion, talks to an U.S. Army Europe Observer-Controller after his tank being hit during Saber Junction 2012 at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Oct. 25. The U.S. Army Europe's exercise Saber Junction trains U.S. personnel and 1800 multinational partners from 18 nations ensuring multinational interoperability and an agile, ready coalition force.

(U.S. Army Europe photo by Visual Information Specialist Markus Rauchenberger/released)

Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) logisticians load palletized material during a hands-on segment of Uganda ADAPT 2010, a mentoring program conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, that resulted in certifying 25 soldiers as C-130 aircraft load planners.

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

The nuts and bolts — Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) logisticians load palletized material during a hands-on segment of Uganda ADAPT 2010, a mentoring program conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, that resulted in certifying 25 soldiers as C-130 aircraft load planners.

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

After walking about 3 kilometers through forests, Paratroopers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, made their way from the air assault infiltration location and tactically moved on foot through thick vegetation. Their objective was to conduct a deliberate attack on the military operations on an urban terrain site known as Haaslat Village at Hohenfels Training Area Aug. 28. Exercise Saber Junction 2014 includes participants from the U.S., NATO allies and European security partners, conducting unified land operations at the 7th Army's Joint Multinational Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area. The exercise trains units in the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations while improving international interoperability, commitment to NATO and allied nations and strategic access to critical areas within the European Command's area of responsibility. More information about Saber Junction 2014 can be found at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction/ (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina M. Dion/Released)

After walking about 3 kilometers through forests, Paratroopers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, made their way from the air assault infiltration location and tactically moved on foot through thick vegetation. Their objective was to conduct a deliberate attack on the military operations on an urban terrain site known as Haaslat Village at Hohenfels Training Area Aug. 28. Exercise Saber Junction 2014 includes participants from the U.S., NATO allies and European security partners, conducting unified land operations at the 7th Army's Joint Multinational Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area. The exercise trains units in the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations while improving international interoperability, commitment to NATO and allied nations and strategic access to critical areas within the European Command's area of responsibility. More information about Saber Junction 2014 can be found at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction/ (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina M. Dion/Released)

Opposing forces Soldier Pvt. Clinton Lopez of Mcloud, Okla., fires a squad assault weapon at Bulgarian forces advancing to the mock village. As part of Exercise Saber Junction 14, Bulgarian soldiers attacked and cleared a village against opposing forces of 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment Soldiers Aug. 30 at Hohenfels Training Area. Exercise Saber Junction 2014 includes participants from the U.S., NATO allies and European security partners, conducting unified land operations at the 7th Army's Joint Multinational Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area. The exercise trains units in the simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability operations while improving international interoperability, commitment to NATO and allied nations and strategic access to critical areas within the European Command's area of responsibility. More information about Saber Junction 2014 can be found at www.eur.army.mil/SaberJunction/ (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina Dion/Released)

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Oluwaseun Abanikanda, a platoon leader with the Effingham-based Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 130 Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Illinois Army National Guard briefs the platoon operations order during training lanes at Exercise Southern Vanguard 23 in Tolemaida Military Base, Colombia, Nov. 10, 2022. Exercise Southern Vanguard is U.S. Army South’s premier training exercise taking place at the operational and tactical levels intended to increase interoperability between the United States and Western Hemisphere forces. This year’s iteration, Exercise Southern Vanguard 23, involves Soldiers from U.S. Army South and the U.S. Army National Guard training alongside Colombian Army soldiers in varying terrain while conducting weapon familiarization lanes culminating in a bilateral military training operation. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class R.J. Lannom Jr.)

Crew of a Polish Wolvarine Armoured Personnel Carrier practice demounting and taking up defencive positions during a live fire exercise on Exercise Steadfast Jazz at the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, on Nov. 6, 2013.

Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 is taking place from 1-9 November in a number of Alliance nations including the Baltic States and Poland. The purpose of the exercise is to train and test the NATO Response Force, a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and special forces components that the Alliance can deploy quickly wherever needed. The Steadfast series of exercises are part of NATO’s efforts to maintain connected and interoperable forces at a high-level of readiness.

(NATO photo/SSgt Ian Houlding GBR Army)

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Bryan Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C., mentors Uganda People's Defense Force logistics soldiers in vehicle measurement for aircraft loading in Entebbe, Uganda

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

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A practice pallet employed by Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) logisticians during a hands-on segment of Uganda ADAPT 2010, a mentoring program conducted in Entebbe, Uganda, that resulted in certifying 25 soldiers as C-130 aircraft load planners.

U.S. Army photo by Gordon Christensen

A U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) organized Africa Deployment Assistance Partnership Team (ADAPT) recently trained, and for the first time ever, certified 25 soldiers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) as C-130 aircraft load planners in Entebbe, Uganda.

A five-person team, led by Gordon Christensen of Army Africa’s G-4 Mobility Division, completed Phase III training with UPDF soldiers Aug. 27 in Entebbe, Uganda, said John Hanson, chief of the G-4 Policy and Programs Branch.

“This was the first actual air load certification we’ve done, of all the previous ADAPT engagements,” Hanson said. “That’s what makes it unique.”

Two weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training enabled 25 of 31 students to earn U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command Form 9 certification, significantly augmenting the Uganda land force’s air deployment capability, while developing greater interoperability with U.S. military forces, Hanson said.

The ADAPT program, developed to enhance the force projection capabilities of African militaries, is managed by the USARAF G-4 staff. Its aim is to bridge the gap between limited deployment capacity and the need to provide forces in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian relief operations, Hanson said.

“We’re building capacity for people to deploy, to do their own missions,” he said.

Even when the training doesn’t lead to actual U.S. Air Force certification, as it did this time in Uganda, it contributes to an enhanced deployment capacity for the land force involved, Hanson said.

“That’s the intent. They can’t do the certification, but they can continue to train their own people. Then we back off and they continue to do that,” he said.

The program is a Title 22 tactical logistics engagement funded by the U.S. Department of State, and focuses on African countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations, Hanson said.

Training is executed in four installments in order to create a long-term, phased approach to building deployment capacity, Hanson said. Instructors take students from a general orientation to tactical deployment principles to an advanced level of practical proficiency.

Instructors for the UPDF course were sourced using the Request For Forces (RFF) process, Hanson said.

Christensen was accompanied U.S. Army Capt. Jedmund Greene of 21st Theater Support Command’s 16th Sustainment Brigade, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three Air Force noncommissioned officers: Tech. Sgt. Venus Washington, Robbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Byran Quinn, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Anthony D. Tate of the Illinois Air National Guard.

“The training helped to strengthen the relationship with our Ugandan partners, and also helped them build a self-sustaining deployment capacity,” Greene said. “I hope 21st TSC can increase its support to USARAF logistics theater security cooperation events in the future.”

Army Africa’s G-4 staff is presently working to synchronize ADAPT with the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. A proof of concept joint training was conducted with ACOTA in Rwanda earlier this year, combining tactical- and support-staff training in logistics with the more complex operational techniques of force deployment and mobility, Hanson said.

The Rwanda training demonstrated the feasibility of combining available U.S. government resources to achieve the most efficient and focused effort to advance common foreign policy objectives with U.S. partners in Africa, he said.

To date, ADAPT missions have been funded for eight African countries. Previous training sessions have been conducted in Rwanda, Ghana and Burkina Faso as well as Uganda, and the number is likely to grow in coming years, Hanson said.

“The programs were identified as being of interest to several other countries during the Army Africa Theater Army Security Cooperation Conference, held in Vicenza in August,” Hanson said.

The next planned ADAPT mission is for Phase I training in Botswana, scheduled for the first quarter of 2011, he said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

Sgt. Reuben Hottel, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, reacts to a near ambush by opposition forces July 26 near Alicedale, South Africa during Shared Accord 13. Shared Accord is a biennial training exercise which promotes regional relationships, increases capacity, trains U.S. and South African forces, and furthers cross-training and interoperability. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Spc. Taryn Hagerman)

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Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg (left to right), Commander, U.S. Army Africa; Craig Anderson, Charge’ d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy, Malawi; and Lt. Col. Ronald E. Zessin, 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Illinois Army National Guard, and MEDREACH 11 exercise commander; discuss the progress of MEDREACH 11 in Lilongwe, Malawi, May 7, 2011.

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel Stinson, 139th MPAD, Illinois Army National Guard

Soldiers from the 399th Combat Support Hospital instructed Malawi Defence Force (MDF) medical staff and Soldiers from the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Battalion, May 5, at the Kamuzu Barracks, on a variety of procedures to help them better respond to combat-related injuries. The four-day course is designed to be an information-sharing exercise between the MDF and U.S. Soldiers participating in MEDREACH 11, a joint humanitarian medical exercise taking place in Malawi.

“Their Soldiers are very intelligent,” said 1st Lt. Jason J. Proulx, a Combat Life Saver instructor with the 399th Combat Support Hospital in Mass. “They are asking very appropriate questions and answering appropriately. I have no doubt that there will be a 100 percent pass rate.”

Proulx, a Londonderry, N.H. native, says the confidence he has in the medical abilities of the Malawian Soldiers comes from the competence many of them have displayed throughout the Combat Life Saver course. Several Malawian Soldiers in Proulx’s class have attended and completed the same U.S. Army medical schools required of military combat medics.

While the Malawi Forces have not had to respond to combat injuries in recent years, MDF soldiers like Staff Sgt. Crantor A. Mwase, a regimental health orderly, believes there is still a great need for trauma training and that U.S. Soldiers have valuable medical instruction to share with their servicemembers.

“This Combat Life Saver has come at the right time,” said Mwase. “It is giving us more knowledge than we had in the past. I think it will make the Malawi Defence Force stronger and more capable.”

Mwase said the training is especially important due to the possibility of future military contingencies, including ongoing MDF mobilization to support the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast. He said the training is timely for the MDF and equips them with the knowledge to save lives.

“The Malawian Defence Force is more or less specialized in tropical medicine so trauma, in general, is not their specialty and that is what we are here to help with,” said Spc. Ian P. Powers, combat medic with the 399th Combat Support Hospital in Mass. “This would not only benefit them on the battlefield, but also with local motor vehicle accidents and any other kinds of trauma that they would find in their own country.”

The Combat Life Saver training included classroom instruction, followed by hands-on practical exercises to validate of what the participants had learned. Soldiers from both forces learned things like the application of a tourniquet, assessing a wounded Soldier, and finished with practicing needle-chest decompression using a special training aid – a goat cadaver, which later became the main course at the class barbecue.

Focused on building relationships, participants and instructors share information and experiences to ensure MDF Soldiers have the capability to teach the information to others. Once the medical staff of the MDF is able to become proficient on Combat Life Saver skills, they will then be able to start training their non-medical Soldiers. The 399th Combat Support Hospital is donating books and instruction guides to make this initiative a reality.

“Our goal is to teach the Malawi Defence Force the essentials of the Combat Life Saver’s course so they can, in turn, teach. That’s the biggest mission here,” said Proulx. “It’s important because the more people that you have that can provide any form of medical treatment the more lives you can save.”

“I hope that this helps a little,” said Spc. Angela T. Langley, a combat medic with the 399th Combat Support Hospital. “I know that they were talking about some of them being deployed to the Ivory Coast and I hope that they benefit from this and they take away from it. I hope we enhance their medical capabilities.”

Both forces benefit from the training, as MDF Soldiers will later don the instructor role by teaching U.S. servicemembers about tropical diseases, like malaria, and how to prevent them.

The culminating event of the Combat Life Saver course includes testing to affirm all troops Combat Life Saver-certified. Given the number of personnel involved and the overall success rate of the practical exercises, participants believe the entire training audience can walk away having achieved their goals.

“I am very excited that the U.S. Armed Forces are here,” said Mwase. “You have been helping us for a long time and we ask your country, the USA, to continue helping us.”

MEDREACH, a key program in the United States’ efforts to partner with the Government of Malawi, is the latest in a series of exercises involving U.S. military forces and African partner militaries with the aim of establishing and developing military interoperability, regional relationships, synchronization of effort and capacity-building.

The goal of MEDREACH 11 is to enhance U.S. and Malawi Defence Forces capabilities to work together and to increase the combined readiness of their medical forces to respond to humanitarian emergencies.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

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A Royal Danish Army soldier, left, of 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, Guard Hussar Regiment, and a U.S. Soldier, right, of 91st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, provide medical assistance to a simulated casualty, a Romanian soldier of 21st Mounted Battalion, during exercise Combined Resolve III at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Nov. 3, 2014. Combined Resolve III is a multinational exercise, which includes more than 4,000 participants from NATO and partner nations, and is designed to provide a complex training scenario that focuses on multinational unified land operations and reinforces the U.S. commitment to NATO and Europe. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Ian Schell)

Lance Cpl. Mina S. Gadelkarim engages upon targets using a M107 .50 Caliber Special Application Scoped Rifle as part of an unknown distance qualification range August 18 at Bradshaw Field Training Area, Northern Territory, Australia, during Exercise Koolendong 14. The range focused on increasing scout sniper's long range precision firing capabilities. The Marines challenged themselves with the M40 A5, M110 SASS and the M107 SASR. The SASR is used as an anti-material weapon, which can shoot effectively from up to 1,000 meters away. Marines are with Scout Sniper Platoon, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and are currently deployed in part of the Marine Rotational Force Darwin. The rotational deployment of U.S. Marines affords an unprecedented combined training opportunity with their Australian allies, and improves interoperability with their forces. Gadelkarim, a Campbell, Texas native, is a rifleman assigned to the platoon. (Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Joey S. Holeman, Jr./ Released)