A group of three delegates from the Russian Federation military visited the headquarters of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa (MFA) on January 13, 2009 for an official evaluation under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Confidence and Security Building Measures (CSBM).

As part of the OSCE's mission to enhance military security by promoting greater openness, transparency, and co-operation, the Marines and staff of MFA provided the delegation a briefing on the mission and organization of MFA, entertained questions during a Q&A session, and gave the Russian delegation a tour of the headquarters and bachelor enlisted quarters.

"We were able to use this opportunity to positively engage the Russian delegation by educating them on the functions of this command," said Colonel Mario LaPaix, MFA chief of staff. "In the spirit of openness and transparency, we hope the delegation leaves here with a broader understanding of the Marine's role in Africa. The desired end-state is to improve underlying conditions necessary for a secure and stable Africa, to include the development of African armed forces, who are committed to respect basic human rights and are trained in non-lethal weapons techniques, small unit leadership and operational planning."

The CSBM is governed under the auspices of the 1999 Vienna Document, a politically binding agreement that outlines the standards of military-to-military inspections and evaluations. Designed to promote mutual trust and dispel concerns about military activity, the international agreement includes provisions regarding the exchange and verification of information on the participating states' armed forces, their defense policies and military activities.

The official escort party included members of the German Arms Control Verification Agency, the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency, U.S. Africa Command and the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, who assisted the group during the evaluation.