US, Burkina Faso wrap-up Western Accord 2016 planning event

By CourtesyApril 6, 2016

US, Burkina Faso wrap-up Western Accord 2016 planning event
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. Kenneth H. Moore, Jr., U.S. Army Africa deputy commanding general and Col. Maj. Yaya Sere, chief planning officer and chief of operations for the General Staff of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces sign the Western Accord 2016 Exercise Support ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
US, Burkina Faso wrap-up Western Accord 2016 planning event
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Military Representatives from various African and European countries met for the Western Accord 2016 Final Planning Event in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso March 21-25, finalized details for the upcoming May exercise. WA 2016 is a two-week exercise with r... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
US, Burkina Faso wrap-up Western Accord 2016 planning event
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. Kenneth H. Moore, Jr., U.S. Army Africa deputy commanding general and Col. Maj. Yaya Sere, chief planning officer and chief of operations for the General Staff of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces take a guided tour of the Western Accord 2016 ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
US, Burkina Faso wrap-up Western Accord 2016 planning event
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Sean Burnett, S-3 for the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion, points out some key landmarks during a guided tour of the Western Accord 2016 training site at the Burkina Faso Armed Forces Noncommissioned Officer Academy March 22. WA 2016 is a two-wee... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The Western Accord is a series of exercises designed to develop the capacity

of the ECOWAS Standby Force's rapid deployment capability to plan, deploy,

employ and sustain forces in support of peacekeeping operations.

"Western Accord 2016 will be a noteworthy opportunity to build peacekeeping

capability in West Africa and enhance military cooperation between all the

partner nations," said Patrick Hughes, USARAF WA 2016 Planner.

With so many different countries involved in this year's exercise and a

plethora of languages and dialects spoken, it was imperative that French and

English interpreters are used. This was particularly handy when annotating the

minutes from the event and the signing of the Western Accord 2016 Exercise

Support Arrangement between USARAF and the Ministry of Defence of Burkina

Faso.

The ESA is a mutually agreed upon arrangement between USARAF and the Ministry

of Defence of Burkina Faso in which they recognize the success of WA 2016 is

contingent upon shared support and cooperation.

Brig. Gen. Kenneth H. Moore, Jr., USARAF deputy commanding general and Col.

Maj. Yaya Sere, chief planning officer and chief of operations for the General

Staff of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces sat side-by-side reading over the

arrangement before signing both copies and shaking hands.

"It has been a pleasure working with our Burkina Faso partners over the past

week and I look forward to a very successful Western Accord exercise here in

May," said Moore.

The final planning event this week was the last opportunity for the BFAF,

USARAF, and partner nation's planners to meet and coordinate the support

requirements for the event before the culminating exercise in May.

"Thanks to the hard work, professionalism and hospitality of our strategic

partner, the Burkina Faso Armed Forces, we now stand ready to successfully

conduct the exercise together," said Hughes. "This comes during an important

transitionary period for Burkina Faso as a nation and at a time when this

region faces threats to security from within and outside its borders," Moore

said.