African military leaders attend Land Forces Colloquium
African military leaders visit Grafenwoehr to discuss training with US forces as part of a four-day African Land Forces Colloquium (ALFC 2021).
Eleven African States and U.S military personnel are attending the inaugural African Land Forces Colloquium held on September 20 at the 7th Army Training Center headquarters in Grafenwoehr, Germany.
The colloquium is designed to showcase military capabilities and address key issues in the U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa area of responsibility.
The four-day event hosted by Maj. Gen. Andrew Rohling, the U.S. Army’s deputy commander for Africa with the theme “U.S. Army Europe, Africa training, from tactical to operational,” focuses on U.S. Army warfighting skills, platforms and training methods.
The event was attended by senior officers from Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya, Djibouti, Botswana, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, and Ghana will include inspection of capabilities of the 7th Army Training Command, Grafenwoehr Training Area, the Joint Multinational Readiness Centre, and the Joint Multinational Simulation Centre located in Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels in Germany.
Participating officers were treated to a demonstration of the capabilities of the 7th Army Training Command, Grafenwoehr Training Area, the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, and the Joint Multinational Simulation Center located in Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels, Germany.
Part of the capability demonstration includes an aerial gunnery display involving AH-64D Apache attack helicopters on the facility’s Bavarian range by the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade.
U.S. Stars and Stripes quoted 1st Lt. Lisabeth Quinn, battalion fire support officer for the 1-3 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, “We have three to four aircraft engaging targets downrange,”
Soldiers also can integrate unmanned aerial systems or vehicles, and joint terminal attack controllers with the Apaches when available.
Speaking about the training, Maj. Gen. Thomas Oppong-Peprah, Ghana’s chief of army staff, said Tuesday, So far what I have seen today specifically, there are facilities and opportunities for us to train our personnel either [by bringing] them over here to Grafenwoehr, or they come to Ghana.”
