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Army CID Supports African Lion and Flintlock Exercises

By Army CID Public AffairsJuly 12, 2024

Personnel with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) recently traveled to Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia to support training exercises conducted by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and U.S. Army Europe-Africa (USAREUR-AF).

Forensic Exploitation Team (FXT) scientists from Army CID’s Forensic Exploitation Department (FXD) traveled to Tunisia and Morocco to strengthen host-nation forensic capabilities, enhance readiness, and expand cooperation and information sharing in support of AFRICOM’s largest annual exercise, African Lion.

Meanwhile, an Army CID special agent traveled to northern Ghana to provide Army CID’s first-ever on-the-ground support in that country during African Lion 24, as well as supporting the Special Operations Command Africa (SocAF) Flintlock 24 exercise.

Flintlock, AFRICOM’s largest annual special operations exercise, has taken place annually since 2005 and this year included 1,300 personnel from nearly 30 nations in areas hosted by Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire.

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of African Lion, which is AFRICOM’s premier and largest annual combined joint exercise. African Lion 24 was conducted by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force-Africa (SETAF-AF) and involved 8,100 participants from 27 nations, as well as NATO, in four African nations: Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia. The exercises took place in May and June 2024.

Forensic Scientists Support African Lion 24

While supporting Africa Lion 24 in Morocco and Tunisia, Army CID’s FXT scientists provided academic instruction, demonstrated techniques, and provided hands-on familiarization on subjects such as latent fingerprint development and lifting, DNA analysis, collection, and recovery of chemical compounds from a blast area, and how to restore a removed serial number from a firearm.

In addition to exercise support, FXT provides core forensic exploitation capabilities for the Joint Theater Forensic Analysis Center (JTFAC) at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, in support of AFRICOM. Evidence and information received and processed through the JTFAC assists allies and partners around the world in tracking adversaries, disrupting supply chains, and providing threat assessments for national security, law enforcement, and military operations. The JTFAC is staffed on six-month rotations, with the majority of its Army CID cadre home-based at Fort Gillem, GA.

Djibouti-Based Special Agent Supports African Lion 24 and Flintlock 24

Special Agent Brian Mansfield, currently assigned to the Army CID Horn-of-Africa Resident Unit (HOA-RU) at Camp Lemonnier, provided investigative support and engaged U.S. and partner nation military commanders in and around Tamale, Ghana in what was Army CID’s first direct participation in that country during Flintlock 24 and Africa Lion 24. Special Agent Mansfield also provided briefings on Army CID’s law enforcement capabilities to a variety of audiences.

Army CID, FXD Firearm and Toolmark examiner Mary Ulloa discusses ways to restore obliterated serial numbers from firearms with a Tunisian Officer during African Lion 2024.
Army CID Supports African Lion and Flintlock Exercises in Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia (Photo Credit: Rachel Mcgill) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army CID Supports African Lion and Flintlock Exercises in Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia
U.S. Soldiers and members of the Ghana Armed Forces provide dental care to local citizens during a Dental Civic Action Program as part of Flintlock 24 in Tamale, Ghana, May 15, 2024. U.S. forces regularly engage in DENTCAPs to work alongside African partners and provide medical care to remote communities, bolstering trust and security within the region. (U.S. Army photo by SSG Jillian G. Hix) (Photo Credit: Jillian Hix) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army CID Supports African Lion and Flintlock Exercises in Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia
Army CID, FXD Chemist C.J. Kelsheimer demonstrates ways to recover chemical traces from a blast area to Tunisian Army Officers during African Lion 2024. (Photo Credit: Rachel Mcgill) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army CID, FXD Latent Print Supervisor and Lab Manager Rachel McGill demonstrates different techniques of pulling prints off various materials to Moroccan Army Officers during African Lion 2024.
Army CID Supports African Lion and Flintlock Exercises in Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia (Photo Credit: Army CID) VIEW ORIGINAL
Army CID Supports African Lion and Flintlock Exercises in Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia

Army CID Special Agent Brian Mansfield stands in front of a massive termite mound near an Exercise Flintlock training site in northern Ghana.
(Photo Credit: Army CID)
VIEW ORIGINAL
Army CID Supports African Lion and Flintlock Exercises in Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia
Front row from left: Army CID, FXD Chemist Bo Liu; Army CID, FXD DNA examiner Nastassia Battle; Army CID, FXD Latent Print Supervisor and Lab Manager Rachel McGill; and (far right) Army CID, FXD Forensic Technical Representative liaison to AFRICOM David Wikoff group photo with Moroccan Army Officers at African Lion 2024. (Photo Credit: Army CID) VIEW ORIGINAL

"CID’s support to, and participation in, these large-scale multinational training exercises is important,” said Special Agent Mansfield, whose home base is the Army CID Resident Agency at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. “Not only do we serve as a deterrence at some of these remote locations, but our presence allows commanders to focus more on their mission knowing that CID is there to advise on, or handle, any criminal issues that may come up."

Participation in the two exercises strengthened Army CID relationships with units across the AFRICOM, USAREUR-AF, Special Forces communities, as well as with key counterparts in the host nations.

Learn more about Army CID and see career opportunities on our website and connect via LinkedInYouTube, and X.

More about African Lion 24 and Flintlock 24.