Back to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa
EL AOUINA AIR BASE, Tunisia — Camera shutters clicked as photographers scrambled to capture the best shot. Videographers huddled nearby, recording every detail in high definition. But this was not a red-carpet event and no foreign dignitary was conducting a diplomatic visit.
From April 22-26, 2024, a unique opportunity for collaboration and skill-building unfolded as a group of ten Tunisian public affairs specialists joined forces with instructors from U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa and the Maryland-based 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera). This special public affairs academics course, held as part of African Lion 2024, aimed to equip participants with essential skills in photography, videography, interview techniques and media preparation.
"Working together with public affairs professionals from different countries is invaluable," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jasmen Young, a combat cameraman with the 55th Signal Company. "We learned from each other's experiences and perspectives, ultimately enhancing our ability to effectively communicate the military’s message.”
The course emphasized the importance of multinational cooperation among public affairs officers as both the Tunisians and Americans prepared for the start of AL24. This year, 27 countries and over 8,100 participants come together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the exercise.
Tunis is just one of the locations to host exercise events. Bizerte, Ben Ghilouf Training Area and Bouficha also serve as host sites, featuring various academics courses, multinational live-fire exercises, combined artillery training and air to ground integration. Outside of Tunisia, AL24 will be hosted in Morocco, Ghana and Senegal, running through May 31, 2024.
“The exercise gives us plenty of chances to put into practice all those photography and videography skills we just trained, further strengthening our capabilities,” said U.S. Army Cpl. Genesis Miranda, Young’s co-instructor and fellow combat cameraman with the 55th Signal Company.
This training initiative is part of a broader effort by the U.S. military to strengthen partnerships and enhance readiness. It reflects the U.S. military's dedication to maintaining strong relationships with allies and partners throughout Africa.
By working closely with ministries of defense and other security entities, SETAF-AF enhances partner nation capacity and capabilities, promoting stability and security in the region.
“At the opening ceremony, U.S. and Tunisian leadership emphasized the importance of working together,” said Miranda. “As I stood side-by-side with my fellow Tunisian videographer from the public affairs course, it made me realize we’re also a multinational team. We’re actually doing what those leaders just talked about.”
The significance of exercises like AL24 extends beyond immediate training objectives. They contribute to setting the theater for current operations and contingencies, ensuring operational access, critical infrastructure and partner nation support.
“The combined U.S.-Tunisian public affairs course was effective for many reasons,” said Tunisian Army 1st Lt. Aladin Rajeb, video and photography training officer. “We all saw our skills improve and learned methods we can immediately put into practice at African Lion.”
In preparation for AL24, Both Miranda and Young were at Tunisia’s Port of Gabes awaiting the arrival of military equipment for usage at the exercise, as well as weaponry and vehicles shipped from multiple military units based in the U.S. Their assignment was to document port operations, highlighting the cooperation between Tunisian hosts and American partners. Essentially, they were helping to set the theater for current operations.
“Not only did Tunisians assist with personnel at the port, they also used their own forklifts and flatbed trucks to lift and transport American equipment to other training areas,” said Young.
Both instructors expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality extended by their Tunisian hosts.
“From the moment we arrived in the country, the Tunisians welcomed us and made us feel at home,” said Young. “It’s been a wonderful experience and I look forward to keeping in touch with my new Tunisian friends.”
About 55th Signal Company
The 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera) holds the proud distinction of being the U.S. Army's only active duty COMCAM unit. Their mission is to provide still and video documentation of Army operations during peacetime, contingencies and combat. Ready to deploy on a moment's notice, the unit employs state-of-the-art documentation equipment equipped with still and motion cameras, night-vision equipment and editing suites. They hold the distinction of being an airborne unit requiring personnel to conduct quarterly airborne operations to maintain airborne qualified status.
About African Lion
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Army Africa Command's premier and largest annual, combined, joint exercise African Lion. This year’s exercise will take place April 19 through May 31 and is hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia with more than 8,100 participants from over 27 nations and contingents from NATO. African Lion 24 focuses on enhancing readiness between the U.S. and partner nation forces. This joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employs a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access.
African Lion content can be found on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
About SETAF-AF
SETAF-AF provides U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa a dedicated headquarters to synchronize Army activities in Africa and scalable crisis-response options in Africa and Europe.
Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS
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