As the use of the Internet has become more prevalent on the continent of Africa, so has the interest in Africa Endeavor (AE).

The number of countries participating in AE 2010 August 9-20, 2010 marked an increase in comparison to previous years.

AE 2009 hosted 25 African nations, two international organizations, and three non-African nations.

The number of participating African countries jumped to 36 for this year's exercise.

The Republic of Congo, Liberia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and Togo are participating in AE 2010 for the first time.

"The training we get here will add the necessary knowledge we need to help our country have a strong communication system," said Colonel Leon Ndingo, Republic of Congo delegation chief.

The overall goal of AE is to focus on interoperability and information sharing among African militaries. Participants in the exercise will learn about radio system requirements, information assurance and other important communication fundamentals.

By learning updated communication techniques, the countries are given the opportunity to develop procedures that can be used by the African Union and the African Standby Force in support of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and peace support missions.

"The training is good for team building, which is important to Africa," said Colonel Rajsingh Jaddoo, Mauritius delegation chief. "It helps ensure Africa doesn't get left behind in the world."

The training also offers a chance for the military leaders of the different countries to interact on a personal level and form bonds that are necessary between partner countries.

"It allows us to build something together, which gets us heading in the right direction," Jaddoo said. "It is helpful to all African nations to communicate with each other, especially in case of disaster, terrorist attacks and peacekeeping missions."

As interaction between countries has occurred, many have noticed the importance of having a communication system to connect them to each other.

"I have met new people and made new friends," said Ndingo. "It will help us in the future to have contacts with different countries if there is an area we do not understand."

AE was started in 2006 under the sponsorship of the United States European Command (USEUCOM). Since 2006, the United States has continued to sponsor and support AE.

"We have America to thank for bringing all of the African states together and helping us work together as a team," said Jaddoo. "I now know we have much more in common. We aren't that different after all."

AE 2010 is a U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) sponsored initiative intended to encourage interoperability and information exchange among African nations via communication networks and subsequent collaborative links with the United States, African Union and other African partners with common stability, security and sustainment goals.