GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – The African Land Forces Colloquium 2022 kicked off at the 7th Army Training Command Headquarters in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Sept. 13, 2022.
For the second year U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) coordinated with 7ATC to host senior leaders from across the African continent, Allied and partner nations, U.S. military, country-specific liaison officers and other representatives.
Maj. Gen. Todd R. Wasmund, SETAF-AF Commanding General, addressed the participants at the event's first meeting.
“This event is essentially smaller and meant to have a bit more interaction,” said Wasmund. “This engagement is important to us and we hope that it is beneficial to you as well because we all must be prepared together to engage in a complete range of military operations.”
ALFC 22 brings together African Land Force commanders from multiple nations along with select U.S. Army and allied and partner army leaders to address land force security challenges.
“This crisis in Ukraine has simulated a new strength of connection and partnership between partners and Allies,” said Wasmund. “It presents a particular challenge but it also presents a unique opportunity to us to grow our capabilities and interoperability.”
Leaders were able to see the variety of training centers and facilities such as the Noncommissioned Officer Academy (NCOA) and Joint Multinational Simulation Center (JMSC) as well as network and foster relationships amongst each other.
7ATC’s Grafenwoehr Training Area provides the highest quality ranges, maneuver areas, training facilities, and support to U.S. joint and multinational commands. 7ATC enables training units to hone their skills to win in any operating environment while seamlessly integrating live, virtual and constructive elements to create "blended" training events.
This year's colloquium will also visit the Hohenfels Training Area (HTA), home to the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC). JMRC is the only training area able to support an entire U.S. brigade combat team with its full complement of enablers maneuvering against a determined enemy force.
The theme for this year's colloquium is "U.S. Army Europe and Africa Institutional Training, Train to Fight." The U.S. Army Europe and Africa remains committed to supporting its African partners in order to foster relationships, promote regional security and stability, and strengthen our national defense and security interests in this region.
SETAF-AF is responsible for coordinating all U.S. Army activities in Africa in support of U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa, including military and medical readiness exercises, security force assistance engagements, and crisis response. These activities strengthen partner networks in Africa, build partner capacity against regional and global security threats, and provide strategic access for U.S. forces in contingency operations.
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