Civil affairs, information operations converge in Ghana for African Lion 2024

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TAMALE, Ghana — Exercise African Lion 2024 (AL24) showcased the integration of civil affairs and information operations, strengthening cooperation and communication with Ghana Armed Forces counterparts over the past two weeks.

U.S. Army Maj. Jennifer Stachura, a civil affairs officer with 437th Civil Affairs Battalion, 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, 352nd Civil Affairs Command, is right in the middle of a 9-month deployment to Ghana. She highlighted the impact of this bilateral collaboration.

"Engaging closely with our Ghanaian counterparts has been truly enlightening,” said Stachura. “These exchanges not only deepen our understanding of our counterparts but also significantly enhance the success of our military operations."

Stachura brought a four-soldier civil affairs team to Ghana, which includes U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Julian Holman, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniell Ledezma and U.S. Army Sgt. Nathaniel McKinnon.

"As civil affairs soldiers, our goal is to facilitate cooperation through humanitarian assistance, information sharing with civil authorities, and addressing civilian needs," McKinnon explained. “We aim to share our expertise with our Ghanaian partners during this exchange and improve their capabilities."

Supporting the effort was U.S. Army Capt. Billy Heath, an information operations officer with 110th Information Operations Battalion, 56th Theater Information Operations Group, Maryland Army National Guard.

"Our strategic communications reinforce the messaging that supports civil-military objectives," said Heath. "It's about shaping perceptions positively."

For Ghana Armed Forces Lt. Roland Nettey, a public affairs officer with Northern Command Headquarters, the benefits of African Lion go beyond what he experienced during the civil affairs and information operations training.

“African Lion has benefitted me by allowing us to improve both our bilateral ties with the U.S., as well as the opportunity to improve our relationships with other participating nations," said Nettey. “In future iterations of the exercise, I hope to see more multinational participation. Other African partners would benefit from this training.”

As AL24 continues through May 31, Stachura's team remains focused on the exchange's overarching goal.

"At the end of the day, it's about connecting authentically with the community," Stachura said. "That's how we achieve true mutual understanding and cooperation."

About African Lion

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. 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 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.

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