flintlock201

Republic of Mali and United States Special Operations Forces troops stand in formation next to each other during the opening ceremony of the Flintlock 10 Exercise held May 3, 2010 in Bamako, Mali. Flintlock 10 is a special operations forces exercise focused on military interoperability and capacity-building and is part of an AFRICOM-sponsored annual exercise program with partner nations in Northern and Western Africa. The exercise, which includes participation of key European nations, is conducted by Special Operations Command Africa and designed to build relationships and develop capacity among security forces throughout the Trans-Saharan region of Africa. Approximately 1,200 European, African Partner Nation and U.S. participants from 14 nations are involved in military interoperability activities across the Trans-Saharan region during this event.