What You Need to Know:
Exercise ‘Justified Accord 2024’ has begun in Kenya under the guidance of the US Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and is set to end on the 7th of March.
The exercise will bring together 1,000 military personnel from 23 nations in order to “increase partner readiness for peacekeeping missions, crisis response and humanitarian assistance.” according to the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).
The exercise is the largest to take place in East Africa, and aims to prepare the US Joint Force’s regional partners for United Nations and African Union mandated missions and support multinational interoperability in a region facing a variety of security threats.
At the same time, a ‘women, Peace, and Security’ panel is being held in conjunction with a rule of law instruction and command exercise at Nairobi’s Counter Insurgency, Terrorism and Stability Operations (CITSO) center.
Somalia’s elite Danab Unit (Lightning Brigade) and Several US Army forward-deployed units will undergo a multinational field training exercise, urban operations training, as well as a medical civic action program hosted by the Kenyan Defence forces, while the United States’ 2nd Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB) and the United Kingdom’s 11th SFAB are to ‘provide tactical expertise to a multinational team from Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia and Tanzania.’
Justin Blessard, lead exercise planner for Justified Accord stated, “Justified Accord showcases the desire of U.S. and partner nations to increase readiness and interoperability when it comes to regional security and crisis response.” While Alex Machado, Platoon Leader of the Massachusetts National Guard’s 772nd Military Police Company claimed, “Participation in regional security and crisis response exercises demonstrates our commitment to our partner nations.”