Maryland Army National Guard deepens defense partnership in Ghana at African Lion 2024
By Philip Regina
DAMONGO, Ghana – The sun-soaked training areas of Damongo have been transformed into a theater of partnership, where soldiers from the U.S. Army and Ghana Armed Forces unite under the blazing sun for African Lion 2024 (AL24) in Ghana.
AL24 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier and largest annual, combined, joint exercise. The exercise began on April 19 and will continue to May 31, hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senega and Tunisia with more than 8,100 participants from over 27 nations and contingents from NATO. AL24 focuses on enhancing readiness between the U.S. and partner nation forces.
The Ghana portion of this exercise brings together the Maryland Army National Guard’s Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment (1-175 IN), 28th Infantry Division, (1-175 IN) and their Ghanaian counterparts for an immersive experience that tests their capabilities to the limit.
U.S. Army Capt. Nicholas Testo, Bravo Company, 1-175 IN company commander and officer-in-charge of the Ghana portion of AL24 cannot overstate the importance of this collaboration.
“These exercises not only hone our tactical prowess but also forge an unbreakable bond between our forces,” said Testo. “The joint training on situational training exercise lanes has been pivotal in aligning our operational doctrines.”
Ghana participants agreed.
“I think with the relationship between Ghana and America, there is a lot we can learn from each other,” said Ghana Armed Forces Lt. Jonah Osei-Tutu. “My experience has been well and I’m looking forward to more partnership”
For U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexi Franklin, 1-175 IN battalion commander, his unit’s participation in AL24 spread his companies throughout three training sites in Africa: Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal.
“I’m extremely proud of my soldiers,” said Franklin. “With my companies spread throughout Africa, this forced me to trust in my company commanders and let them lead.”
In addition to the physical distance between host nations, the 1-175 IN also faced diverse conditions such as harsh climate, varying terrain and intermittent connectivity.
“It is a very challenging training environment, but my soldiers stepped up to the challenge,” said Franklin.
About African Lion
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Army Africa Command’s premier and largest annual, combined, joint exercise African Lion. This year’s exercise will take place April 19 through May 31 and is hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia with more than 8,100 participants from over 27 nations and contingents from NATO.
African Lion content can be found on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
About SETAF-AF
SETAF-AF provides U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa a dedicated headquarters to synchronize Army activities in Africa and scalable crisis-response options in Africa and Europe.
