Western Accord 13 begins command post exercise

ACCRA, Ghana – Ghana Armed Forces along with U.S. Army Africa concluded week one of Western Accord 13 and began a command post exercise June 24 at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center, Accra, Ghana.

Western Accord 13 is a two-part exercise that includes academics and a command post exercise. In part one, participants received classes focused on collective tasks, functional, and staff procedures in support of command and control of a peacekeeping operation based on real world events. In part two, a brigade headquarters staff will prepare and then execute its plan to move forces into a contested area, defeat terrorists, and restore basic services and the rule of law while setting the stage for national reconciliation.

Classes included civil military operations, stability operations, and operational planning. The classes were taught by personnel from the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, 2nd Civil Affairs Group, 2nd Brigade 1st Infantry Division Armed Brigade Combat Team and USARAF.

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Sexual assault prevention main focus for Secretary of Army McHugh

VICENZA, Italy – Secretary of the Army John McHugh spoke with a group of senior leaders, Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention unit representatives and the Sexual Assault Response coordinator during lunch at Caserma Del Din on Monday.

“The president recently spoke with secretaries from different branches and (sexual assault prevention) is critically important,” McHugh said. “The Army values are being challenged in negative ways. I want to know what is working and what isn’t working.”

U.S. Army Africa SHARP representative Master Sgt. Steve Pauling told McHugh how the Vicenza Military Community SHARP representatives gather once a month for a lunch to talk about issues and keep communication flowing.

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U.S. Army Africa sponsors African Deployment Partnership Training in Togo

LOME, Togo – As part of African Deployment Partnership Training known as ADAPT, three U.S. Army Soldiers traveled to Lomé, Togo, to provide Phase II of Ground Training for 29 Togolese Defense Force personnel.

Capt. Brad Copas of U.S. Army Africa’s G-4 Logistics Directorate coordinated training with the assistance of two soldiers from Fort Riley, Kan., May 6-16.

“This was my third trip to provide ADAPT to the Togolese. Training was held at The Operations Training Center to Maintain Peace,” Copas said. “Phase II is a train-the-trainer segment of the ground course. It gives our Togolese partners the ability to train other soldiers as unit movement officers or UMOs,” Copas said.

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Preventing war with words

FORT KNOX, Ky.– Language and cultural barriers keep us from understanding and appreciating the world around us. What seems to us like a worthless flooded swamp is a field of cultivated rice to someone else. That feeling we get when our personal space is severely invaded isn’t universal — it is how other people greet and connect. And while we would consider a belch during or after dinner as bad manners, in other countries it is a sign of appreciation for a very good meal.

But more than that, it is those barriers that can keep people from achieving something as simple as a decent living, and in some areas of the world it keeps people from understanding that Americans aren’t really the bad guys.

Enter CULP — the Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency program — and the Army ROTC cadets who are participating in this program throughout the spring and summer months. They are one of the resources used by Department of Defense (DoD) to assist less-developed countries, exchange language and cultural experiences, and build better relationships in these areas.

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USARAF G-5 rides into Italian history

SOLFERINO, Italy – While looking down from a museum tower, members of U.S. Army Africa’s G-5 directorate stare at the amazing panoramic view of the small town of Solferino, Italy. It was hard to believe that on this spot 154 years ago, more than 4,000 French, Italian and Austrian soliders were killed and tens of thousands wounded in the second largest land battle fought in Europe, leading to Italian unification and independence.

La Spia d’Italia tower, also known as the “spyhole of Italy,” nicknamed due to its considerable height of 190 feet and its strategic position dominating the surrounding area, was a distinctive symbol during the Battle of Solferino and San Martino of the 1859 War of Independence campaign, which was the topic of the first G5 staff ride May 22.

Lt. Col. Thomas F. Talley, USARAF G5 chief of strategy, policy and programs, said learning about the battle is a useful tool for teaching important and relevant lessons whether they pertain to the dynamics of campaign planning, tactics, logistics or simply to understand his Soldiers.

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JHOC focuses on inter-agency cooperation

VICENZA, Italy – Whether natural or man-made, disasters can happen anytime – anywhere.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance is an agency that deals with deadly disasters worldwide. With global logistics and transportation capabilities, the U.S. military often assists in USAID disaster relief operations.

Angela Sherbenou, USAID senior humanitarian adviser at U.S. Army Africa Command, gave 29 U.S. Army Africa Soldiers and civilians the low-down on Joint Humanitarian Operations (JHOC), May 14-15.

“This program was created at the request of the U.S. Department of Defense,” said Sherbenou. “The reason being, it’s not a question of if….it’s a question of when will we work together during disaster relief operations. That’s why it’s a joint operations course.”

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‘Dagger University’ prepares Soldiers for missions to Africa

Fort Riley, Kan. – Soldiers with 2nd ‘Dagger’ Armored Brigade Combat Team have known about their regional alignment with the continent of Africa for a while now, but that doesn’t mean the excitement of the unique mission-set has worn off, especially with some Soldiers having gone and come back after successfully completing their mission.

“All of it has been very positive so far,” said Col. Jeffery Broadwater, commander of 2nd ABCT. “The countries that we’ve been in, the [host nation security force] Soldiers have been very positive and really appreciated the support and classes we were instructing—we’ve got great rapport-building and I think we’ve probably made some lifelong friendships along the way.”

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Road to Africa begins in Italy for NY Army National Guard

VICENZA, Italy – To prepare for participation for Exercise Central Accord 14, 369th Sustainment Brigade Commander Col. Reginald Sanders from New York Army National Guard traveled to Vicenza, Italy recently to share lessons learned from their participation in last year’s Central Accord (CA13) in Cameroon.

Sanders and four of his key leaders joined 11 officers from eight partner nations and organizations to share lessons learned from CA13 at a conference conducted by U.S. Army Africa (USARAF)

“This is an opportunity to look at what we accomplished earlier this year and improve on the processes we used,” said Jerry Madden, USARAF planning officer for Central Accord 14.

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Nigeria Chief of Army Staff visits U. S. Army Africa

VICENZA, Italy – As part of U.S. Army Africa’s engagement strategy, Nigerian Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika visited USARAF, May 7-9, to meet with key leaders to see how USARAF command operates and to discuss the way forward.

USARAF leaders briefed Ihejirika on the command’s mission, its ongoing partnerships with African land forces to foster securing, stability and peace on the African continent. During his three-day visit, Ihejirika also toured Caserma Ederle and received a capabilities demonstration from the USARAF Expeditionary Command Post and Mission Command Training Center.

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USARAF Soldier is mentor for Senate Youth Program

VICENZA, Italy – Ever since he joined the Army, Maj. Sidney M. Cobb has taken the time to volunteer or mentor students and Soldiers. Cobb’s dedication and passion for helping others landed him the honor of being selected as one of 17 military mentors for the 51st Annual U.S. Senate Youth Program in Washington, D.C March 9-16.

Cobb, an environmental science engineering and force health protection officer for U.S. Army Africa, said nominees were evaluated on leadership skills, military career, educational background and history of working with youth groups.

“I hope my record reflects my desire to always uphold the highest standards of the Army and Medical Service Corps and to continue with what I believe is my inherent role as a mentor. I am extremely delighted and ultimately humbled by my selection through this highly competitive and rigorous screening process. When I looked at my fellow military mentors, I am truly honored to stand out amongst my peers and be recognized for my involvement with youth programs,” Cobb, an Atlanta, Ga. native, said.

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