US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa personnel brought the African Partnership Flight outreach program to eastern Africa for the first time, co-hosting a five-day seminar at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, according to a release. Approximately 60 airmen from the Burundian, Kenyan, Tanzanian, and Ugandan air forces are gathered there through Feb. 12 for training on airlift cargo planning, flight line security, crash and fire response, and aircraft maintenance, states the Feb. 7 release. A group of some 25 advisors from USAFE-AFAFRICA and the 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., are leading workshops in English with assistance provided to Francophone participants as well. “African Partnership Flight is very fundamental to looking at aspects of mutual cooperation between air forces within the region,” said Ugandan Maj. Tabaro Kiconco. “We expect to get a lot in terms of how we can develop our interoperability,” he added. Previous APFs took place in Ghana, Angola, Mauritania, and Senegal.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.