10:05 AM3/26/2025

NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”

10:00 AM3/26/2025

A U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) instructor, along with experts from U.S. Africa Command’s (USAFRICOM) Technical Support Group, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, provides chemical and biological hazard training to Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion personnel during exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25) at the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 13, 2025. The training included laboratory setup identification, protective measures and safe sampling techniques to mitigate risks associated with hazardous materials. JA25 is the premier USAFRICOM exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Solomon Navarro)

10:00 AM3/26/2025

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers conduct a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance exercise during exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25) at the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 18, 2025. Equipped with protective gear and detection equipment, the soldiers systematically searched a simulated hazardous environment to identify and mitigate potential threats. JA25 is the premier U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Solomon Navarro

10:00 AM3/26/2025

A Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier uses a detection wand to scan another KDF member for potential contamination during chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) training at the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 18, 2025. Conducted as part of exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), the training enhances KDF personnel’s ability to detect and mitigate hazardous threats in operational environments. JA25 is the premier U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Solomon Navarro)

10:00 AM3/26/2025

A U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) instructor, along with experts from U.S. Africa Command’s (USAFRICOM) Technical Support Group, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, provides chemical and biological hazard training to Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion personnel during exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25) at the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 13, 2025. The training included laboratory setup identification, protective measures and safe sampling techniques to mitigate risks associated with hazardous materials. JA25 is the premier USAFRICOM exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Solomon Navarro)

10:00 AM3/26/2025

Keith Weatherspoon Jr., a chemical-biological software integrator with U.S. Africa Command’s (USAFRICOM) Technical Support Group, conducts training on chemical and biological warfare for Botswana Defence Force (BDF) partners and U.S. service members during exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25) at the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 17, 2025. In this session, Weatherspoon explained a fentanyl lab scenario and mustard agent synthesis to enhance participants’ understanding of hazardous material threats and response procedures. JA25 is the premier USAFRICOM exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Solomon Navarro)

10:00 AM3/26/2025

Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion personnel conduct radiological detection training using a controlled source provided by the Kenyan Nuclear Regulatory Association during exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25) at the Humanitarian Peace Support School in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 14, 2025. Under the guidance of U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) instructors and U.S. Africa Command’s (USAFRICOM) Technical Support Group specialists, participants learned how to pinpoint radiological material safely, assess exposure risks and implement protective measures. The training builds upon more than a decade of U.S.-Kenya cooperation in strengthening chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) response capabilities. JA25 is the premier USAFRICOM exercise in East Africa, designed to enhance multinational combat readiness, strengthen crisis response capabilities and empower allies and partners in the region. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted by Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, JA25 integrates high-intensity training scenarios that sharpen warfighting skills, increase operational reach and enhance the ability to execute complex joint and multinational operations. The exercise runs from Feb. 10–21, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Solomon Navarro)

10:00 AM3/26/2025

NAIROBI, Kenya – Imagine two scenarios. Scenario 1: Dawn breaks over the capital of Kenya. A U.S. diplomat leaves his residence for the embassy. After a 20-minute ride, his car arrives at the gate and he enters. He sits in his office to begin the day when, all of a sudden, he hears an explosion through the open window. It seems far off; it is not a large explosion. He thinks maybe it was just a car accident, but minutes later he smells something bitter in the air. His eyes water, sirens blare and a U.S. Marine Corps security detail enters his office wearing gas masks. They put a mask on him and tell him they must evacuate immediately because a deadly chemical is blowing over the compound. Scenario 2: U.S. intelligence receives credible information that radiological material is being loaded onto a ship in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Time is short and no one knows which ship, only that it will embark soon, possibly bound for the hands of violent extremists or other state actors looking to imperil the U.S. homeland. There is no time to send U.S. security forces to intercept the package. Instead, the Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) mobilizes and arrives at the port. Using tactics and tools gained from years of training with the United States, they find the ship and the weapon, placed there by a violent extremist organization, and prevent its departure, defeating the threat to America and its citizens. Similar scenarios have happened before in other areas of the world.

3:18 PM12/5/2024

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander, U.S. Africa Command observes a group of students attending Shining Hope for Communities' (SHOFCO) development program in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 26, 2024. While in Kenya, SHOFCO gave AFRICOM direct access to see how its community-led model for transformation is providing health care, sustainable livelihood programs, essential services, clean water, and building female leadership in impoverished communities to create lasting change. Combatting threats that drive instability starts with 3D,” said Langley. “As a 3D organization when enabling our African partners in a unified effort to promote regional security and prosperity, it requires a whole of government effort – Development, Diplomacy, and Defense.” (U.S. Department of Defense courtesy photo by Shining Hope for Communities)

3:18 PM12/5/2024

A local participant in Shining Hope for Communities' (SHOFCO) development program gives senior leaders from U.S. Africa Command a presentation on a vocational skill being taught by SHOFCO’s outreach efforts in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 26, 2024. While in Kenya, SHOFCO gave AFRICOM direct access to see how its community-led model for transformation is providing health care, sustainable livelihood programs, essential services, clean water, and building female leadership in impoverished communities to create lasting change. Combatting threats that drive instability starts with 3D,” said U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander, AFRICOM. “As a 3D organization when enabling our African partners in a unified effort to promote regional security and prosperity, it requires a whole of government effort – Development, Diplomacy, and Defense.” (U.S. Department of Defense courtesy photo by Shining Hope for Communities)

3:18 PM12/5/2024

Senior leaders from U.S. Africa Command join Kennedy Odede, founder and chief executive officer, Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), for tour of the local development’s current educational and programmatic efforts to build promise from poverty by igniting transformation in urban slums in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 26, 2024. While in Kenya, SHOFCO gave AFRICOM direct access to see how its community-led model for transformation is providing health care, sustainable livelihood programs, essential services, clean water, and building female leadership in impoverished communities to create lasting change. (U.S. Department of Defense courtesy photo by Shining Hope for Communities)

3:18 PM12/5/2024

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. and commander of U.S. Africa Command Michael Langley alongside members of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi meet with Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto, Nov. 25, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya. In Kenya, AFRICOM’s commitment to enabling partner effectiveness and bilateral efforts on counterterrorism operations continued. During discussions, partners shared their concerns about regional security and emphasized the importance of partnership to promote peace and security in the region. (U.S. Department of Defense courtesy photo)

3:18 PM12/5/2024

A local participant in Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) development program gives U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander, U.S. Africa Command a presentation on water sanitation efforts provided by SHOFCO’s outreach efforts in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 26, 2024. Providing very low-cost water to the Kibera community as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) education facilitated by community health workers is one of five approaches SHOFCO takes to provide critical services to the local community. While in Kenya, SHOFCO gave AFRICOM direct access to see how its community-led model for transformation is providing health care, sustainable livelihood programs, essential services, clean water, and building female leadership in impoverished communities to create lasting change. (U.S. Department of Defense courtesy photo by Shining Hope for Communities)

3:18 PM12/5/2024

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander, U.S. Africa Command, alongside Chargé d’Affaires, Marc Dillard, walk out of meeting with Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto, Nov. 25, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya. Langley’s visit was part of a week-long visit to eastern Africa countries, which focused on engaging strategic and interagency partners, and civil society organizations about topics geared toward addressing challenges, opportunities and threats that impact regional stability. In Kenya, AFRICOM’s commitment to enabling partner effectiveness and bilateral efforts on counterterrorism operations continued. (U.S. Department of Defense courtesy photo)

3:18 PM12/5/2024

STUTTGART, Germany --- U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander, U.S. Africa Command, alongside AFRICOM’s U.S. Agency for International Development Senior Development Advisor, Maura Barry Boyle; USMC Sgt. Maj. Michael Woods, command senior enlisted leader; and senior support staff traveled to the continent of Africa’s eastern region Nov. 21-28 to meet with various military, civil, and government partners in Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya. This visit focused on engaging strategic and interagency partners, and civil society organizations about topics geared toward addressing challenges, opportunities and threats that impact regional stability.

10:20 AM9/16/2024

2:54 PM1/25/2024

U.S. Marine Corps General Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, along with Sgt. Maj. Michael Woods, the command's senior enlisted leader, undertook a strategic visit to Nairobi, Kenya

2:54 PM1/25/2024

U.S. Marine Corps General Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, along with Sgt. Maj. Michael Woods, the command's senior enlisted leader, undertook a strategic visit to Nairobi, Kenya

1:43 PM1/25/2024

U.S. Marine Corps General Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, along with Sgt. Maj. Michael Woods, the command's senior enlisted leader, undertook a strategic visit to Nairobi, Kenya; Mogadishu, Somalia; and Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti from January 22-25. This visit was aimed at reinforcing relationships with regional civilian and military leaders.

3:04 PM8/11/2023

ACCRA, GHANA –– Lt. Col. Julianna Munyao, Kenya Defence Forces, identifies different mosquito species through a microscope at the Africa Malaria Task Force (AMTF) conference, July 18, 2023. The AMTF brought experts together from 25 partner nations to address best practices for detection and eradication of malaria throughout Africa, with a specific focus on the emerging threat from the invasive malaria-causing species, Anopheles stephensi.