Exercise Flintlock 2024, a special exercise designed to test the operational readiness of Special Operation Forces (SOF) of countries, has ended at Tamale in the Northern Region.
About 1,300 personnel across 34 countries participated in the exercise, in addition to another dubbed: “Exercise African Lion..”.
The exercise, co-hosted by Ghana with Cote d’Ivoire as the secondary host, began on May 13 and ended on May 24 in Accra, Daboya and Tamale.
It was organized by the Special Operations Command-Africa (SOCAF) of the United States(US) African Command (AFRICOM) in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces.
It is an annual event to enhance cooperation on trans-regional security issues in North and West Africa and enhance interoperability, and partnership between the US and special operations force communities.
Madam Virginia Palmer, US Ambassador to Ghana said at the closing of the event in Tamale on Friday, said Flintlock was a multinational effort which dates back to 2005, involving partners who are concerned by the security, humanitarian and political crises unfolding in the Sahel.
She reiterated the need for good governance in democracy to ensure that there was no room for discrimination in the sub-region.
She noted that the US Congress had approved over $85 million for the implementation of the Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS) in Coastal West Africa, with an additional $45 million expected this year.
Major General Bismarck Kwasi Onwona, Chief of Army Staff, Ghana Armed Forces, expressed gratitude to the US African Command and partners for the collaboration and underscored the efforts of multi-national forces in countering terrorism.
He said Exercise Flintlock and Exercise African Lion provided an opportunity for Ghana and other African nations to partner with the US to train in areas pertinent to the fight against terrorism, which threatened the continent.
As part of the Flintlock and African Lion exercises, there were medical outreach events in communities in the north, where mobile clinics were provided for screenings and basic health care to build trust between at-risk communities and security forces.
Exercise Flintlock is designed to strengthen collective security, enable greater cross-border collaboration between African partners, reinforce military bonds and trust of the civilian populace, as well as augment tactics, techniques, procedures, and skillsets to address common threats. Exercise Flintlock is the US Africa Command’s premier special operations forces exercise.
Two US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers took part, allowing US Special Operations Command Africa and Ghanaian troops to practice calling in close air support.
Ghana and the United States have long joined forces to combat terrorism and piracy. Cooperation is even more important due to the growing threat of extremism on the continent.