U.S. Military Participate in Multilateral Military Exercise in Bamako

Participants in the 2007 FLINTLOCK Exercise in Bamako, Mali (COMCAM)

The United States, along with approximately thirteen European and African nations, are participating in a joint military exercise in Bamako, Mali from August to September 2007.  This exercise, called FLINTLOCK 2007, is the latest in a series of exercises conducted between U.S. military forces and partner nations throughout Africa.

The principal purpose of FLINTLOCK is to assist partner nations to plan and execute command, control, and communications systems in support of future combined humanitarian, peacekeeping and disaster relief operations.   This training will also allow participating nations to continue developing partnerships in the region and further enhance joint military capabilities. 

The exercise will improve the assembled nations' ability to work collaboratively towards solving a shared regional crisis.  It includes participants from the Trans-Saharan nations and the U.S. as well as advisors from multiple European countries. Participating countries invited for this year's CPX include: Algeria, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, France, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and the U.S.

FLINTLOCK is the premier exercise to support future training and engagement in the Trans-Saharan Region.  FLINTLOCK is a series of military exercises conducted with theater security cooperation partners in Africa, under the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) program.  The TSCTP initiative is an integrated, multi-agency effort of the U.S. Dept. of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Department of Defense.