Marines and commandos help make Africa more resilient
About 40 special operation forces of the Marine Corps and the Command Force troops were deployed for Flintlock earlier this year. This annual, large, American-led training for elite troops took place in Mauritania and Senegal. 1,600 military personnel from over 30 countries participated.
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A soldier from the Special Operations Forces instructs soldiers from Burkina Faso. Photo copyright Ministry of Defence, Netherlands
Flintlock aims to make African partner countries more resilient to regional threats such as terrorism and extremism. Better protection of the borders as well as creating more security in cooperation with the local population are also learning objectives.
African military personnel were trained in combat, planning skills (interrogation tactics) and freeing hostages. Tactical operations, border patrols, intelligence sharing and key leader engagement (connecting with key figures in a community) were also on the program.
Sahel region
A number of Dutch staff officers took part in a seminar where military leaders and civilian officials from Africa, America and Europe discussed the problems in the Sahel region. One of the central themes was the integration of security forces into society by, for example, admitting women and minorities. Defense also delivered a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to Flintlock. Among other things, the C-130 will bring troops and equipment from participating units back home.
