Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
DAYTON, Ohio – Xiangyang He, 41, a Chinese national and illegal alien living in Los Angeles, was sentenced in U.S. District Court here to 96 months in prison for his role as a courier in a fraud scheme that targeted elderly Americans. He personally picked up more than half a million dollars in cash and gold from older victims, including at least one victim in Ohio.
Source: United States Army
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U.S. Soldiers assigned to Logistics Company Advising Team 6640 of 6th Battalion, 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade, trained 80 members of Djibouti’s 2nd Company, Bataillon d’Intervention Rapide (Rapid Intervention Battalion) in night range operations on Goubet Range, Djibouti, Oct. 15-Nov. 25, 2025.
The 54th SFAB, a subordinate unit to Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), dedicated one training evening per week to 20 Soldiers from each BIR company. Personnel with the East Africa Response Force from Camp Lemonnier’s security forces battalion provided additional support.
According to U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Neil Limper, executive officer for the advising team in Djibouti, this train-the-trainer effort was typical of the SFAB’s mission to conduct security force assistance operations worldwide.
“This training was conducted at the operational and tactical level to develop the capacity, capability and interoperability of [Djiboutian] partner forces, as well as their supporting institutions to accomplish theater security cooperation objectives,” Limper said.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class David Holzrichter, assistant team leader, explained that their mission successfully embedded a cadre of night-fire trainers across three maneuver companies and the headquarters company of the Djiboutian unit.
“Having received this training, Djiboutian BIR personnel showed they could independently train their remaining forces,” Holzrichter said. “This marks a significant milestone in their operational self-sufficiency. It shows their training coordinators now have a framework to build tactics, techniques and procedures to integrate night fire into their future training.”
Limper noted that the Djibouti Armed Forces is an important strategic partner for U.S. Africa Command in the Horn of Africa in a relationship focused on counterterrorism, as well as regional security and stability. The BIR’s mission primarily concentrates on security concerns, combatting extremism and executing specialized missions.
“Having a partner force that is just as capable as our own forces makes for a more formidable partner,” Limper said.
U.S. Army Maj. Micah Bennett, BIR logistics advisor, said that the BIR’s improved capacity will alleviate the training burden for future SFAB advisor teams and create a benchmark for future teams’ evaluations. Participating in this training also served as a demonstration of Djibouti’s commitment to burden-sharing in regional security matters.
“The BIR is an internal defense force,” Bennett said. “Having a unit capable of operating in low visibility conditions allows the Djiboutian military to better defend their country.”
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS
Source: United States Army
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NAIROBI, Kenya – Exercise Justified Accord 2026 (JA26), U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual, multinational exercise in East Africa, officially begins today across Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), JA26 integrates approximately 1,500 personnel from Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, the United States and several other nations to build readiness, deepen partnerships and strengthen regional security.
The exercise strengthens cooperation and advances regional security by enabling partner-led security operations against shared threats.
The exercise, running through March 13, 2026, serves as a premier innovation hub in East Africa. JA26 is designed to validate new technologies in austere environments while enabling partner-led security operations against shared counter-terrorism threats.
The exercise features a comprehensive suite of training events designed to test the full spectrum of military operations.
“The true strength of Justified Accord lies in our partners taking the lead, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jason Fernandez, the Justified Accord branch chief, SETAF-AF. “This exercise embodies the principle of burden sharing, creating a powerful, partner-led security network capable of shouldering the responsibility for a stable and prosperous East Africa.”
The two-week exercise features a training approach tailored to shared regional security needs.
In Kenya, activities focus on enhancing joint command and control, including a multinational live-fire exercise, a command post exercise integrating special operations and conventional forces, air-to-ground integration, and defensive cyber operations centered in Nairobi and Isiolo.
In Tanzania, the focus is readiness, global force projection, and joint readiness for crisis response. The exercise features a bilateral field training exercise on jungle warfare and counter-improvised explosive devices, alongside a medical readiness exercise to support local communities and increase U.S. medical readiness.
JA26 heavily leverages the National Guard Bureau’s state partnership program to deepen long-term military relationships.
The Massachusetts National Guard continues its decade-long partnership with Kenya, leading complex kinetic training, while the Nebraska National Guard builds upon its newly developed partnership with Tanzania, focusing on expeditionary medical and ground force readiness.
The training concludes with distinguished visitor days, showcasing the tangible return on investment of this multinational partnership and shared security cooperation.
During the JA26 distinguished visitor days, in coordination with the U.S. military and the U.S. Department of Commerce (U.S. Embassy Nairobi), selected U.S. and African vendors will set up technology expositions.
The industry day will directly connect commercial technological solutions with military and interagency end-users, fostering collaboration and aligning innovation with operational requirements focused on counter-terrorism, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and counter-UAS capabilities.
“A truly resilient joint force is powered by a thriving defense ecosystem,” added Fernandez. “What you will see is that ecosystem in action, a strategic partnership between our warfighters and commercial innovators from both the U.S. and our partners.”
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About Justified Accord
Justified Accord increases multinational interoperability in support of humanitarian assistance and crisis response, prepares regional partners for United Nations and African Union missions and builds readiness for the U.S. joint force. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), and hosted in Kenya and Tanzania, JA is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa, with approximately 1,500 participants.
For more imagery, video and news from Justified Accord visit the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Geoffery Bartee Dale, 38, of Pensacola, Florida was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A South Bay man and former congressional candidate was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for embezzling approximately $250,000 from his political campaign through a fraudulent scheme involving his mother and friend, pocketing more than $100,000 in cash and using the money on personal expenses such as Las Vegas trips and to defend himself against criminal stalking charges.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the State of New Jersey and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherill over New Jersey’s new Executive Order No. 12 that interferes with the federal government’s enforcement of its immigration laws.
“Federal agents are risking their lives to keep New Jersey citizens safe, and yet New Jersey’s leaders are enacting policies designed to obstruct and endanger law enforcement,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “States may not deliberately interfere with our efforts to remove illegal aliens and arrest criminals — New Jersey’s sanctuary policies will not stand.”
The Executive Order prohibits ICE and other federal immigration officials from conducting secure arrests of criminal illegal aliens inside nonpublic areas of state property including state correctional facilities. Not only are New Jersey’s sanctuary policies illegal under federal law, but, as alleged in the complaint, New Jersey’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities results in the release of dangerous criminals from police custody who would otherwise be subject to removal, including illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, burglary, and drug and human trafficking, onto the streets.
On her first day in office, Attorney General Bondi instructed the Department’s Civil Division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal immigration laws or impede lawful federal immigration operations. The Department’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions published on August 5, 2025, precedes New Jersey’s latest Executive Order. Regardless, Attorney General Bondi has vowed to bring litigation to end such policies nationwide. Today’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by the Civil Division targeting illegal sanctuary city policies across the country, including in New York, Minnesota, and Los Angeles, California.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
ST. GEORGE, Utah – An indictment was unsealed today in the District of Utah following the arrest of a Southern Utah entrepreneur, and original co-founder and creator of the “Squatty Potty,” after he was charged for receiving sexually explicit images of a child.
Source: United States Airforce
The Department of the Air Force released updated guidance intended to accelerate Line of Duty determinations for Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members serving on extended active‑duty orders.
Source: United States Airforce
The Department of the Air Force has selected Fort Gordon, Georgia, as the preferred location for two Air National Guard cyber operations squadrons.
Source: United States Airforce
The DAF is gauging interest for data center construction in Alaska. Interested parties have until March 13 to submit a response.