Military planners from the United States, Ghana, and 6 other nations recently wrapped up the final planning event in Accra for the Ghana portion of the upcoming exercise, African Lion 2024 or AL24, set to commence on May 1 and run through May 31st.

African Lion is U.S. Africa Command’s premier and largest annual, combined and joint exercise. This year's exercise will take place April 19 through May 31 and is hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia with more than 7,100 participants from over twenty nations, including contingents from NATO. African Lion 24 focuses on enhancing readiness between the U.S. and partner nation forces.

This year’s event will celebrate the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command's largest annual combined and joint exercise on the African Continent. Exercise planners anticipates the participation of over 7,100 personnel from more than twenty nations. The Ghana portion of AL24 will consist of a series of small-unit field training exercises, a staff exercise, a medical readiness exercise and a medical civil action program.

"This year's African Lion exercise in Ghana is poised to significantly enhance our interoperability and readiness, showcasing the collective capabilities of our forces in a dynamic training environment," said Alejandro Navarrete, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa exercise planner.

The exercise will feature the integration of forces from six African nations — Ghana, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo — alongside comprehensive U.S. military participation that includes active duty, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve units, with joint support from the U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy.

For this year, AL24 will take place concurrently with Special Operations Command Africa’s Flintlock Exercise (FL24). FL24 is U.S. Africa Command’s premier and largest annual special operations exercise combining military and law enforcement to strengthen African and international special operations forces capabilities. The exercise, which first premiered in 2005, operates on mutual respect and collaboration to advance the shared interests of regional stability.

“Synchronizing and de-conflicting the competing requirements of both AL24 Ghana and FL24 adds a layer of complexity to our planning efforts,” said Ghana Armed Forces Col. George Dottey, lead GAF exercise planner for both Flintlock and AL24 Ghana. “Ensuring the success of both exercises simultaneously requires us to be extremely diligent and innovative in our approach, balancing resources, and schedules to support the distinct objectives of each exercise effectively."

Key contributions also come from the U.S. Army National Guard State Partnership Program, which will include medical providers from the North Dakota Army National Guard and infantry from the Maryland Army National Guard.

"Our efforts in the African Lion 2024 exercise underscore our enduring commitment to peace and security in Africa, enabling us to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our African partners and other participating nations," stated Aminat Yahaya, SETAF-AF security cooperation division west Africa desk officer, reflecting on the exercise's broader objectives.

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) provides U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe & Africa a dedicated headquarters to synchronize Army activities in Africa and scalable crisis response options in Africa and Europe.

For more information on U.S. Army activities in Africa, go to www.setaf-africa.army.mil and for more news about the U.S. Army in Africa, go to www.army.mil/africa http://www.army.mil/africa