More than 70 dental and medical staff gathered to exchange techniques during the beginning of the humanitarian civil assistance (HCA) project for Exercise African Lion 12, April 9, 2012.

Exercise African Lion is a U.S. Africa Command-sponsored, Marine Forces Africa-led exercise that involves various types of training, including command post, live-fire and maneuvering, peacekeeping operations, an intelligence capacity building seminar, aerial refueling/low-level flight training, as well as medical and dental assistance projects. All are designed to improve interoperability and mutual understanding of each nation's military tactics, techniques and procedures.

The class-based exchange was designed to create a sense of partnership for the members of the combined joint HCA team before launching the operation, during which doctors and staff are projected to treat approximately 1,000 patients daily.

"In these classrooms we will start building relationships so by the time we are working in the local communities, our group will have a one-team mentality and perform to a high standard," said Army Major Reece Roberts, an operations officer with the Utah Army National Guard attached to Task Force African Lion.

"The participants will be learning from each other by sharing our better business practices," said Roberts. "This sets the foundation for what we are going to do for the rest of the exercise."

The classes included subjects such as cancer screening, deployment vaccinations, emergency dental procedures, dental hygiene and combat trauma treatment.

Recent innovations were discussed during the combat trauma treatment class, said Army Colonel Peter Taillac, the senior medical officer with the combined joint humanitarian civil assistance team during AF-12.

"The main desired effect was to transfer knowledge and experience between militaries. The secondary effect was to get to know them a bit, and to become more comfortable with us and us with them," said Taillac.

The combined joint humanitarian civil assistance team is comprised of doctors from various practices, such as general medicine, surgery, optometry and pediatrics. Along with their support staff, they are scheduled to treat patients of various ailments in five community areas located outside Agadir.

For more information about the HCA and Exercise African Lion, visit the Marine Forces Africa's web site and Facebook page.