U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer at the closing ceremony for Flintlock 2024 (Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana May 24, 2024)
Ambassador Palmer’s Remarks
U.S. Special Operations Command – Africa
Exercise Flintlock 2024, Distinguished Visitor Demonstration, Tamale, Ghana
Friday, May 24, 2024
*Remarks As Prepared*
Good afternoon and welcome back! This is the second year I have seen you for this exercise – as promised it is bigger and better this year. I would like to note that there are three major exercises happening in Ghana this month. Flintlock, Obangame Express, and African Lion. These naval, special forces, and conventional forces exercises reflect our full engagement and cooperation to support security in the region.
To our distinguished international partners, Akwaaba and to our gracious hosts, the Ghana Armed Forces, Medaase. After a year of planning and two weeks of intense exercise execution by nearly 1,300 combined multi-national forces, the U.S. Special Operations Command – Africa, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force – Africa, and Ghana Armed Forces culminated this effort with the demonstration we have just seen, including forces of thirty-one nations.
I’d like to thank everyone involved in this enormous effort. Flintlock is a long-running multinational effort dating back to 2005. Our commitment to security in the region is long-term, but today’s exercise is also very timely. We don’t have to look very far to see security threats from violent extremism in the Sahel. We, like all of our partners, are concerned by the security, humanitarian, and political crises unfolding in the Sahel. Going forward, African Lion is here to stay in Ghana and to continue strengthening ties in coastal West Africa. African Lion is the U.S. Army’s premier exercise focused on deployment and mobilization of conventional forces to counter shared threats in Africa.
The region has witnessed a dramatic increase in the strength and influence of violent extremist groups. Threats to civilians, reports of human rights abuses and violations, and levels of displacement and humanitarian need are all on the rise.
As we’ve seen in the Sahel, violent extremism thrives when state authorities are absent; when the delivery of services is weak; when democracy is fragile or fleeting; when justice is inaccessible; and when economic and political exclusion prevail.
Along these same lines, during African Lion, we’ve worked together on medical outreach events in communities here and in the north, as part of the exercises. These mobile clinics provide medical screenings and basic health care, while helping build trust between at-risk communities and security forces. It’s that trust and connection that can truly improve security.
Activities like these conducted under African Lion and Flintlock reflect our broader work in Ghana. We know that the threat of violent extremism cannot be addressed through security forces alone. Under the Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, the United States has made a long-term commitment to support local communities at risk of expanded conflict as they seek to solidify social cohesion, provide economic opportunities to vulnerable populations, strengthen our military-to-military relationship, and bolster the capacity of the Ghanaian security services to ensure that Ghana remains resilient in the face of an increasing threat from violent extremist organizations. Since 2022, Congress has approved over $85 million for SPCPS implementation for Coastal West Africa, with an additional $45 million expected this year.
These past two weeks, the Ghana Armed Forces have demonstrated that in addition to being a net exporter of security and stability through peacekeeping, it is a capable leader in highly specialized operations as well as command and control. This is one of many reasons the United States is committed to supporting the Ghana Armed Forces through continued training and technical support.
Our longstanding partnership is based on shared democratic values and a shared history. Ghana’s commitments to freedom of assembly, interfaith religious tolerance, and respect for human rights are foundational to modern democracies and are a shining example of democratic norms.
Through Flintlock and African Lion, we have demonstrated that our bilateral relationship is strong, productive, and mutually beneficial. The United States is proud to partner with Ghana as a leader in West Africa, working together on regional security, investing in people through our long-term development relationship, protecting democratic institutions, and advancing our mutual prosperity.
The number of senior leaders here today speaks volumes to the importance of these exercises and our focus on security in coastal West Africa. Ghana’s efforts are backed by international and regional partners who value Ghana’s leadership and stand together with our African Partners to push back on threats against our common values and democratic norms. Thank you for coming.
Source link : https://gh.usembassy.gov/u-s-special-operations-command-africa-exercise-flintlock-2024-distinguished-visitor-demonstration-remarks-by-ambassador-palmer/
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Publish date : 2024-05-24 03:00:00
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