Back to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa
VICENZA, Italy — Members of Civil Affairs (CA) Battalion, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) began their relief-in-place (RIP) between outgoing staff at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, and Caserma Del Din, Italy, with incoming staff from Fort Hood, Texas, Sept. 23, 2025.
The CA Soldiers’ RIP was an incremental process. The initial phase started virtually via Microsoft Teams, with new staff members physically arriving in Italy, Sept. 26. Main-body team members traveled to Djibouti in early October.
The headquarters element provides command and control for SETAF-AF’s two civil affairs companies, comprising 10 CA teams total, and a medical functional specialist team. SETAF-AF takes operational control of a rotational force the 360th Civil Affairs Brigade deploys every nine months to execute civil affairs operations in the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) area of responsibility in support of SETAF-AF, AFRICOM and U.S. government objectives. A smooth transition ensures continuous oversight of ongoing operations in Africa.
“It’s been a very interesting time to be here,” said U.S. Army Capt. Amber Foust, the outgoing future operations officer in charge assigned to SETAF-AF’s civil affairs battalion. “We were on the ground during several significant changes to our country’s priorities and engagement strategies, so we had a great opportunity to practice our flexibility. The teams had a lot of opportunities to work closely with the SETAF-AF staff, and country teams had a lot of autonomy to find ways to affect SETAF-AF’s operations, activities and investments.”
Foust noted that since her team assumed responsibilities for its mission in January 2025, they had several first-time engagements in areas that civil affairs teams had not visited for a significant time. Among other highlights, Foust described CA teams that conducted a high-level subject matter expert exchange in Yaoundé, Cameroon, as well as multiple engagements in Liberia working with that country’s civil-military operations (CMO) force.
“Tunisia was a big win for us as well,” Foust said. “Our team has been conducting CMO courses over the last year or so, and there was a great moment where some of the Tunisian Armed Forces members they’ve been training in Tunis participated in the Flintlock exercise down in Côte d’Ivoire. Our civil affairs team in Côte d’Ivoire got to participate in Flintlock and assess how that team performed during the exercise.”
The incoming CA team validated their competencies at Fort Hood, Texas, in September prior to moving overseas. As new members arrived, the incoming and outgoing teams conducted inventories and finalized RIP activities with a transfer of authority. The in-person RIP phases continued through October until completion.
U.S. Army Capt. Giorgio Jacome, the new future operations officer who took Foust’s place, said his immediate priorities include shortening the learning curve between the transitioning staff members, expanding on the work already accomplished, and passing those benefits on to the next team.
“It’s been a great rotation,” Foust said. “It was a huge learning opportunity seeing how guidance comes down from the highest levels, all the way to the executing team on the ground. It was a great experience and the group we mobilized with were all super hard chargers.”
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
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