Thursday, June 9, 2016
Central Accord 2016 is an annual, combined, joint military exercise that brings together partner nations to practice and demonstrate proficiency in conducting peacekeeping operations. The end goal of Central Accord 16 is to increase interoperability and build capacity, while cementing partnerships in the region built from previous exercises.
The U.S. military, in partnership with the Gabonese Armed Forces, the Multinational Force of Central Africa (MINUSCA), and other partner nations will conduct Central Accord 2016, a command post and field training exercise, in Libreville, Gabon, June 10-24.
U.S. Army is the main planning proponent of Central Accord. Participating U.S. units include the 82nd Airborne Division and both Reserve and National Guard units from the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. The multinational training audience will demonstrate medical treatment readiness, air operations proficiency, combined arms maneuver, and airborne operations in support of a realistic peacekeeping operation scenario.
Approximately 1,000 military personnel from 14 nations will participate in the exercise. The exercise will consist of one week of classroom-based academics, and one week of a command post and field training exercise. The exercise will include headquarters staff training, land force maneuvers, medical training, and airborne and equipment drops.
U.S. Army Africa leverages the Total Army and uses a regional focus, embedded in the Army’s global engagement strategy to strengthen African land forces and regional organizations. These foundational capabilities help synchronize efforts in building Army Readiness and providing options to prevent conflict, to shape the security environment and to win conflicts.
This exercise is just one example of U.S. Army Africa’s commitment to strengthening relationships with partner nations in Africa. Future Central Accords will be scheduled to take place in Africa and U.S. Army Africa will continue to develop and build upon the relationships and partnerships established here.
The African continent is a complex environment with over one billion people and more than 2000 spoken languages in a continent three times the size of the U.S. The importance of building partnerships across Africa is more relevant than ever in light of the growth of regional and transnational violent extremist organizations.
This exercise, involving land forces from several African and European partner nations, is a key element in a broader series of military-to-military activities to demonstrate the strong partnership between the U.S., the nations of Central Africa, and all of the participating militaries.
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