The Government of Mali, in collaboration with other African and European nations and the United States, will host a joint military exercise in Bamako, Mali from November 3 - 20, 2008. This exercise, called FLINTLOCK, is the latest in a series of exercises conducted between Malian and U.S. military forces and partner nations throughout Africa.

The principal purpose of FLINTLOCK is to assist partner nations to establish and develop military interoperability and strengthen regional relationships, in support of future combined humanitarian, peacekeeping and disaster relief operations. It includes participants from the Trans-Saharan nations and the U.S. as well as advisors from multiple European countries.

While in Mali, Malian and United States military personnel will conduct Medical Civic Action Programs (MEDCAP) and Veterinary Civic Action Programs (VETCAP) aimed at providing select medical and veterinary services to rural communities in Mali.

FLINTLOCK will additionally feature the presence of American military aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules and the CV-22 Osprey, an airplane that flies both like an airplane and a helicopter, that are part of this training exercise.

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.