Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley,  Commander of U.S. Africa Command (Wikipedia Commons)

By  Gary  Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The United States and Botswana co-hosted the 2024 African Chiefs of Defense Conference last week in capital city Gaborone with top military leaders from across Africa. The conference addressed shared African security and stability challenges,  according to AFRICOM.  This was the first time the U.S. has co-hosted the Conference with an African nation, and the first time the conference took place in Africa. The Conference also discussed the “negative influence of misinformation campaigns by Russia on the continent,” according to Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander, U.S. Africa Command. In discussing highlights from the conference with the media, Langley said sharing ideas to bolster stability, security, human rights and prosperity among the 53 nations in Africom’s area of responsibility were among the themes and that discussions included challenges in deterring threats and building for crises response. According to Langley, threats to deter include terror organizations like ISIS, Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram, “which thrive in areas of instability.”

Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, speaks with military leaders between panel discussions at the 2023 African Chiefs of Defense Conference. African defense chiefs and senior military leaders from 43 countries met in Rome for the annual African Chiefs of Defense Conference held from Feb. 27 to March 2, 2023. (Photo By: Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Meaney)

Chair of NATO Military Committee attends African Chiefs of Defense Conference 

Chair of NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, speaks at a panel discussion on security governance and partnerships at the  African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Botswana. (Credit: nato.int) 

The Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, attended the African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Botswana, where he delivered a speech on security governance and partnerships. During a panel intervention on ‘Security Sector Governance and Enhancing Partnerships with the South’, Admiral Bauer stated that partnerships enrich NATO’s situational awareness in areas beyond its direct neighbourhood, and they ensure that NATO can successfully contribute to common security challenges. “Partnerships are not only about what we do, they are also about who we are. In the Alliance, we wish to partner with others to meet our security challenges. What happens in Europe, affects Africa. And what happens in Africa, affects Europe.”