A group of newly selected U.S. flag and general officers, known as CAPSTONE Fellows, visited U.S. Africa Command headquarters August 12, 2011, to discuss their recent visits to the African countries of Morocco, South Africa, Uganda and Djibouti, where they interacted with allied senior military leaders, political leaders and chiefs of mission.

The CAPSTONE Program is mandated by the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, which requires newly selected general officers, flag officers and senior executive service members to complete a course designed to prepare them for work with armed forces from other nations. The Goldwater-Nichols Act also requires close cooperation between the branches of the U.S. armed forces to build effective joint-service organizations, such as U.S. AFRICOM and other joint commands.

The 17 visiting CAPSTONE Fellows started their day in Stuttgart, with an hour-long meeting with U.S. AFRICOM Commander, Army General Carter F. Ham.

After meeting with Ham, the Fellows briefed the AFRICOM chief of staff, Air Force Major General Harry D. Polumbo and directors or deputy directors representing AFRICOM's individual directorates. The briefings included observations about the trip and questions for AFRICOM leaders about the command's position on issues the CAPSTONE Fellows encountered during their meetings in African nations. Polumbo expanded on comments made by Ham and fielded additional questions from the Fellows.

The specific content of the conversations was private to ensure a free exchange of ideas.

Topics discussed included the ongoing conflict in Libya, African regional actions against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) extremist group, African perceptions of their own nations and of AFRICOM, and how receptive African nations are to working with AFRICOM on military-to-military training.

Major General Salvator Cambria, AFRICOM's director of J3/4 Operations and Logistics, said he appreciated the fresh eyes that the Fellows brought to many of AFRICOM's concerns within the countries they visited.

A fresh perspective was also on the mind of the CAPSTONE Fellows mentor, U.S. Air Force General (Retired) Michael Carns. "As a mentor, my goal is to stimulate original thought," Carns said, "because at this rank they are responsible for what will be done as opposed to being accountable for what is done."

The visiting Fellows openly expressed their opinions to AFRICOM's leadership, Carns added "I had my views and they had theirs," he said, "and I wanted them to feel free to express their views."

The African and AFRICOM travels were rewarding on multiple levels, one participant said. "It was a great trip. I made a brand new set of friends and traveled to a part of the world that will be important for the next 20 years," said U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Kenneth Carodine.

U.S. Army Brigadier General Mark T. McQueen, another CAPSTONE Fellow, agreed with Carodine and added that the trip "really underscores the importance of AFRICOM."