More than 400 military personnel from more than ten (10) African partner and allied nations will participate in Flintlock 2022 in Côte d’Ivoire, February 15-28, 2022.
.The information was contained in a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
Established in 2005, Flintlock is an annual, African-led, combined military and police exercise that has consolidated the forces of key partner nations across Africa, in partnership with international special operations forces.
Flintlock is the largest and largest annual special operations exercise for the U.S. Africa Command.
This year, Flintlock will be hosted by Ivory Coast and the exercise is designed to build the capacity of key partner nations in the region to counter violent extremist organizations, collaborate across borders and keep their populations safe.
Côte d’Ivoire’s willingness to host this year’s exercise reflects the determination of African partners to address regional challenges.
Additionally, the exercise strengthens partnerships between African, American and international military and law enforcement organizations, increasing their interoperability during crises and operations to increase security and stability.
The participating African nations are Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Niger. The international participants are Canada, the United States, France, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Flintlock reflects a mutual commitment to countering malicious activity and violent extremism across the Sahel.
While regional security is at the center of the exercise, the lessons learned and shared during Flintlock will have lasting effects beyond North and West Africa.
Malicious actors and terrorists seeking to expand their influence here also threaten stability around the world. By bringing together the considerable talents of African and international partners, we are collectively stronger and better able to address the fundamental issues affecting regional and global stability.
Flintlock, part of international investments in defense, diplomacy and development, strengthens the collective ability of allied and partner nations to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
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