U.S. Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Rob Harbaugh, the survey team reconnaissance non-commissioned officer for the 773rd Civil Support Team, 7th Mission Support Command (left,) and sodlier from the CBRN and EOD team, 61st Engineer Regiment, Tunisian Armed Forces troubleshoot an issue on a multiRAE, a specialized piece of detection equipment, during a field training exercise at the unit's training site May 24, 2023, in Bizerte, Tunisia, as part of African Lion 2023. The 773rd is a highly specialized, HAZMAT reaction team, the only one of it's kind in the U.S. Army Europe - Africa theater. Exercises such as African Lion 23 provide opportunities for the unit to train and educate Tunisian partners, improving Tunisian security and enabling them to better protect their borders, complementing the Tunisian Armed Forces' increased security measures.
The U.S. conducts unilateral military operations, therefore we must train as members of a combined team with our partners. By training together, the U.S. military, our partners and allies get the repetitions we need to fight and win together on the modern day battlefield.18 nations and approximately 8,000 personnel will participate in African Lion 2023, U.S. Africa Command's largest annual combined, joint exercise that will take place in multiple countries to include Tunisia from May 13 - June 18, 2023.