Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Army

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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

VICENZA, Italy — U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) placed innovation at the center of this year’s African Land Forces Summit, held in Rome, Italy, March 22–24. With more than 30 African partner nations represented, the summit served as a strategic platform for discussing shared security challenges, strengthening land force cooperation and accelerating modernization across the continent.

The event highlighted SETAF-AF’s three most forward-leaning organizations: the Advanced Capabilities Directorate, the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s Bayonet Innovation Team, as well as the Joint Theater Forensics Analysis Center. Together, these teams demonstrated how emerging technologies, rapid experimentation and applied science are shaping the future of land operations in Africa.

“ALFS is an annual summit where land force commanders from Africa meet with U.S. senior military leaders and multinational partners to discuss shared security concerns,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mike Smolucha, lead planner of ALFS 2026, Security Cooperation Directorate, SETAF-AF. “This year was different because we brought private industry, innovators, academia and investors, all with the intent to engage defense economics in Africa.”

Throughout the summit, SETAF-AF’s ACD, BIT and JTFAC personnel demonstrated their forward-leaning capabilities to summit participants, industry leaders and African partners.

“The summit sought to first define the security threat, and how intelligence gathering can address that threat,” Smolucha said. “From there, we deliberately focused on innovation, drone usage and counter drones, which heavily involves the industrial base.”

The JTFAC team emphasized that intelligence gathering requires adaptability above all else.

“All of the captured exploitable material that we analyze can be used in prosecutions, for law enforcement support,” said Lydia Benyam, JTFAC’s laboratory manager. “We use a customizable ‘fly-away’ kit, which teams utilize to collect forensic material, whether on land, air or sea. This feeds directly into the intelligence cycle through databases and information sharing, and assists with force protection of U.S. personnel and partner forces.”

The lab’s job is to interpret forensic material precisely and quickly. As the only deployable forensic laboratory supporting U.S. Africa Command, JTFAC provides rapid, expeditionary analysis that helps the joint force identify threat networks, track illicit activity and strengthen rule-of-law outcomes.

Whether it’s DNA or biometrics, electronic exploitation or material analysis, Benyam said the JTFAC brings scientific tools to the tactical edge.

Joining Benyam at the summit, U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Ethan Burdette, a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s BIT, also discussed his team’s role in providing innovative solutions to security challenges.

“I received a degree in unmanned aircraft systems science,” Burdette said. “The brigade was looking for what I could bring to the table in developing first-person-view drone technology, and commercial off-the-shelf intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms as well.”

The 173rd has procured the materials and manufactured in-house drones since March 2025, making history with the U.S. Army’s first drone-on-drone kill at a live-fire event in August 2025.

“Engaging with African partners and industry professionals at ALFS 2026 gives us a chance to show the world that we are ready, empowered and disciplined,” Burdette said.

ALFS participants conducted many bilateral discussions with industry and partner nations seeking to expand their own modernization pathways. Many of these conversations focused on how small, incremental advancements, such as improved data-sharing mechanisms or modular communications kits, can have significant impact on operational readiness.

“Along with the JTFAC and BIT, the Advanced Capabilities Directorate focused on the future innovations that SETAF-AF will need to address security challenges,” Smolucha said.

This year’s summit theme, “Empowering shared security through intelligence, innovation and industry,” aligns closely with SETAF-AF’s strategic priorities. The ACD emphasized that technology alone cannot solve complex security challenges. Instead, progress depends on trust, interoperability and shared understanding.

“This year’s ALFS represents a fundamental shift from aid to trade,” Smolucha said. “We want independent partners who are strong, well equipped and well trained. This doesn’t come without trust and ongoing communication.”

Benyam echoed this sentiment, highlighting the human dimension of scientific cooperation.

“Forensics is ultimately about people — protecting them, empowering them and helping them pursue justice,” Benyam said. “Our partnerships in Africa are built on mutual trust and respect. It’s a shared commitment to stability.”

As ALFS 2026 concluded, SETAF-AF leaders emphasized that the summit is not an endpoint but a catalyst. The engagements, demonstrations and technical exchanges that took place in Rome will inform future exercises, experimentation events and capacity-building initiatives across the continent.

“What we achieved here at ALFS was a demonstration of our commitment,” Smolucha said. “We also facilitated a change in our partners’ mindset, especially in bringing industry and investors to the summit.”

The next visible proof of this ongoing commitment comes this spring at Exercise African Lion, held in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, where the capabilities of SETAF-AF’s ACD, BIT and JTFAC teams will be on full display, honing their skills together with partner nations.

“ALFS can be seen as a springboard for innovation through defense economics, one that starts here at the summit and flows right into our military exercises in Africa throughout the year,” Smolucha said.

For SETAF-AF, the summit’s message was clear: Innovation is not a buzzword — it is a responsibility. ALFS 2026 showcased that SETAF-AF continues to ensure U.S. and African land forces are equipped, informed and connected for the future battlefield.

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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.

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Source: United States Army

TOWER BARRACKS, Germany – U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria firefighters, 7th Army Training Command, Bundesforst Bayern, Bundeswehr, and the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade from USAG Ansbach came together for a Wildland Fire Exercise at the Grafenwoehr Training Area March 24, 2026.

The exercise focused on extinguishing wildland fires with aerial support, ensuring readiness and improving coordination among the various agencies involved.

Due to extreme dryness during the summer months, small fires occur annually in the Grafenwoehr Training Area. These fires are typically extinguished quickly and efficiently by the local fire department. Nevertheless, larger fires that exceed the fire department’s capacity would require aerial support, making this training critical for preparedness.

This training has been held annually sincetheIntegratedWildland Fire Management Program wasestablishedin 2021. It ensures that all parties are prepared to respond effectively to wildland fires, protecting both the training area and the surrounding community.

“We are conducting wildfire aerial bucket training in order to work integration between the Grafenwoehr Training Area and 12th CAB, to be able to better fight fires on the ranges here,” said wildland fire program manager Maj. Robert Stettler, 7th ATC. “If it gets too large, it can threaten the infrastructure, we have the potential of losing targetry, losing ranges.”

The exercise emphasized the importance of rapid response and integration to mitigate fires before they become a threat to infrastructure, ranges or the surrounding community.

The ranges at Grafenwoehr are vital for training across Europe, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. Protecting these ranges from fire damage ensures their continued availability for military readiness.

“We can put fires out before they become a problem–that’s going to keep us all safe, whether it’s through smoke issues, the actual fire itself threatening Grafenwoehr, the town, Tower Barracks, Rose Barracks,” Stettler said. “The more integrated we are, the quicker we can do that, and the less risk to the greater community.”

The training was conducted in two parts:During the week prior, all parties involved reviewed procedures and protocols during a tabletop exercise. On March 24, during the practical part, controlled fires were set by the fire department within the training area and extinguished using helicopters equipped with water buckets.

The trainingusedthe CH-47 Chinook, the Army’s only heavy-lift helicopter, equipped with a Bambi Max Bucket capable of holding close to 12,000 pounds of water.

The helicopters dipped their buckets into designated water sources. In this case water was extracted from theSchlatterweiherwithin the training area. These dip zones are carefully planned to ensure safety and efficiency during operations.

The exercise highlighted the importance of coordination among the U.S. Army, Germanarmedforces, and the Federal Forest Service.

“Cooperation must function reliably, especially in an emergency,” said Alexander Richter, USAG Bavaria assistant fire chief (operations). “To ensure this, responsibilities must be defined, and procedures and tactics must be discussed and practiced….Through these exercises, solutions are developed collaboratively that can be implemented in an emergency.”

The training also tackled challenges such as language barriers and complex coordination processes.

“Communication is a huge topic,” said Marvin Leistner, liaison for the Bundesforst. “Of course, there’s the language issue, but the coordination processes are very complex. We are not pilots, and the pilots are not firefighters, so we have to practice ensuring everything works well together.”

Pilots and crew members also gained certification during the exercise to perform water bucket drops.

“With us today, we have six pilots, and we have five non-crew members, the flight engineers and the crew chiefs,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Riedel, pilot in command of the water drop exercise. “The qualification is water bucket operations. The challenge [is] carrying the 12,000 pounds of water approximately 30 feet below the helicopter and just getting used to how the bucket of water will fly as well as how to employ that water against the fire with the various conditions, altitudes, and speeds. Then after this qualification, we can send them out as the crew without an instructor to fight fires.”

By bringing together multiple agencies, certifying crews, and practicing real-life scenarios, the wild land fire exercise strengthens readiness, enhances safety, and fosters collaboration across U.S. and German organizations.

Source: United States Army

ROME, Italy — U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) hosted the African Land Forces Summit 2026 in Rome, Italy, March 22-24, bringing together land force commanders from nearly 40 African nations, partner nations, industry representatives, capital investors and academic thought leaders for two days of dialogue on shared security challenges.

Sponsored by the U.S. Army chief of staff, ALFS 26 centered on the theme, “Empowering Shared Security Through Intelligence, Innovation and Industry.” For the first time in the summit’s history, a dedicated Industry Technology Pavilion ran concurrently with military plenary sessions, giving African defense leaders direct access to small technology companies and investors presenting emerging dual-use solutions.

“The 2026 African Land Forces Summit in Rome represents a significant milestone as a U.S. Army-led forum intentionally designed to connect African senior leaders with global industry expertise,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew C. Gainey, commanding general of SETAF-AF. “As the first U.S. Army summit of its kind to emphasize the integration of dual-use technology and capital investors with African land forces, we are looking beyond traditional procurement models to address an evolving security environment through mutual defense and innovation.”

Four plenary sessions guided summit discussions: Defining the Threat in Africa, moderated by Chidi Blyden; Intelligence-Driven Operations, moderated by Dr. Daisy Muibu; Drone Use and Counter-Drone Use, moderated by Dr. Nate Allen; and Industrial Base Collaboration, moderated by Mvemba Dizolele of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Throughout the two-day summit, land force commanders engaged with subject-matter experts on the range of threats facing African partners, intelligence-sharing approaches, unmanned systems tactics, and opportunities for defense industry collaboration on the continent.

“Our goal is to create an environment where meaningful exchanges between defense leaders, industry innovators and investors lead to tangible cooperation, shared responsibility, and a more secure future for both America and the African continent,” Gainey added.

This year’s summit marked the first time AFLS has ever taken place in Europe. Organizers have held previous summits in the United States and across Africa, including Accra, Ghana (2025), Livingstone, Zambia (2024), and Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (2023). SETAF-AF, headquartered in Vicenza, Italy, hosted the 2026 edition on behalf of the U.S. Army chief of staff.

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Media contact: setaf_mediarelations@army.mil | Follow: #ALFS | www.army.mil/africa