Promoting regional security in Africa through intelligence training

KAMPALA, UGANDA

04.06.2015

Courtesy Story

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa     

KAMPALA, Uganda - Soldiers from the militaries of six African nations trained together for two months to learn intelligence-gathering techniques in classes hosted by U.S. Marines.

The officers and non-commissioned officers who participated came from Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, Comoros, Seychelles and Djibouti.

They each completed the eight-week Military Intelligence Basic Officers Course – Africa or the seven-week Military Intelligence Noncommissioned Officers Course – Africa.
An experienced cadre of instructors from the Regional Joint Intelligence Training Facility in Molesworth, United Kingdom led the instruction, and Marine Forces Europe and Africa sponsored the training.

“I look forward to using what I learned to better make my country safe,” one student said.

Terrorist groups, insurgencies, piracy, and armed rebel groups are some of the problems that currently pose a threat to African nations partnered with the U.S. These courses are meant to combat those issues by increasing the intelligence capabilities of the students and promoting interoperability between U.S. and African militaries.

Students learned intelligence methods and practices used by the U.S. military. These included analytical techniques, researching and briefing skills, map reading, counterinsurgency and counterterrorism.

A weeklong final exercise brought all the officers and NCOs together to work as a combined intelligence team – applying the skills they had learned throughout the course.

The students represented a wide array of backgrounds and experiences from their home nations. Some had been directly involved in combat operations against threat groups such as Al Shabaab, the Lord’s Resistance Army and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Their experiences brought unique perspectives to the training, which helped to supplement the periods of instruction.

• Date Taken: 04.06.2015
• Date Posted: 04.06.2015 10:39
• Story ID: 159186
• Location: KAMPALA, UG