VICENZA, Italy -- The air was filled with excitement and anticipation as senior officers from U.S. Army Africa prepared to receive and welcome senior land force leaders from Tanzania yesterday in Vicenza, Italy.
Maj. Gen. Salim Mustafa Kijuu, land force commander of the Tanzanian People's Defence Force, and Brig. Gen Zoma Mathik Kongo, director of operations for the TPDF visited USARAF on the first leg of a Command Sponsored Visit coordinated by USARAF on behalf of the U.S. Army.
After a morning welcome ceremony in front of the headquarters followed by an office call with Maj. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, USARAF commander, the two senior Tanzania land force leaders received a command briefing about USARAF followed by another session focusing on the African Land Forces Summit 16 to be held in Tanzania.
U.S. forces have an active relationship with Tanzania as USARAF co-hosted this year's Gender Mainstreaming Seminar in Tanzania. Next year, not only will Tanzania host ALFS, but also will be the location for the Eastern Accord 16 exercise and the Navy's Cutlass Express exercise.
After lunch, Kijuu and Kongo learned more about Eastern Accord 16 from USARAF exercise planners, including key decisions remaining on locations and timelines.
Participants then took a brief walk outside to visit the mobile forensics lab and to learn about its capabilities. This mobile forensic lab provides cutting edge crime scene investigation capabilities that contribute to African partner nations' abilities to fight crime, violent extremist organizations and improve force protection. These labs have already been used extensively by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tanzanian leaders concluded the afternoon with information briefings by USARAF on intelligence network analysis, environmental and humanitarian assistance programs, and civil affairs programs.
Follow-on stops for the Tanzanian land force leaders include U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany, the Joint Multinational Training Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany, and the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, to observe facilities, programs, and multinational training.
CSVs bring together senior land force commanders from nations around the world to discuss mutual security concerns and to increase interoperability. These visits help build partnerships over time and across echelons, the key concept behind USARAF's African Horizons strategy.
Kijuu is a graduate of the Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
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