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U.S. Army Southern European Task
U.S. Army senior leaders salute the flag of Ghana during the opening ceremony of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven)
Photo by: Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
From left, Ghana Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Lawrence K. Gbetanu, chief of the army staff, Ghana Minister of Defense Dr. Edward Boamah, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer, and U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew Gainey, commanding general of U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), pose for a photo following the opening ceremony of the Africa Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S Army photo by Edem Seshie)
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
Virginia Palmer, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana, speaks at the opening ceremony of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven)
Photo by: Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
Maj. Gen. Lawrence Gbetanu, Chief of the Army Staff, Ghana Armed Forces, speaks at the opening ceremony of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven)
Photo by: Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
Virginia Palmer, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, greets Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Defense Minister of Ghana, before the opening ceremony of the Africa Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Katherine Sibilla)
Photo by: 1st Lt. Katherine Sibilla
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U.S. Army Southern European Task
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew Gainey, commanding general, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), speaks at the opening ceremony of the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana, April 7, 2025. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and co-hosted by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces, ALFS 2025 brings together senior leaders from across Africa and other partner nations, April 7-10, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, to address shared security challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven)
Photo by: Staff Sgt. Aaliyah Craven
ACCRA, Ghana — U.S. Army Southern Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) held the opening ceremony for the African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) 2025 in Accra, Ghana.
Sponsored by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, ALFS 2025 runs April 7–10, and brings together land force chiefs from nearly 40 African nations, as well as representatives from other partner countries, academic institutions, and government agencies for open dialogue on shared security challenges. This year’s theme is “Optimizing Land Forces for the Emerging Security Environment.”
“For over 15 years, the African Land Forces Summit has been vital for collaboration and dialogue among African military leaders and international partners and allies,” said Maj. Gen. Andrew C. Gainey, commanding general of SETAF-AF.
Underscoring the importance of joint training efforts and strategic partnerships, Gainey emphasized the value of working closely with African defense forces. “Working with African militaries, we develop premier multinational and multidomain training opportunities that help us all optimize our land forces,” said Gainey.
Throughout the week, land forces commanders from across Africa will engage in discussions guided by subject matter experts.
“This year’s African Land Forces Summit promises to be productive and impactful. The collaboration between the Ghana Army and the United States Army is a welcome development in the context of international defence collaboration,” said Ghana’s Minister of Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah.
He emphasized the significance of the meeting in strengthening collective defence strategies and fostering regional stability.
“The assembly in Accra of Army Chiefs, mainly from across the African continent to deliberate on matters of defence and security is very important to this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world,” said Boamah.
ALFS brings together leaders from Africa, Europe and North America to exchange ideas and develop solutions to some of Africa's most pressing transnational issues. ALFS 2025 intends to build upon previous summits by fostering communication, cooperation and planning among partner nations.
“Our agenda for the next few days is ambitious,” said Ambassador Virginia Palmer, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana. “We are here to optimize our land forces’ capability, to foster interoperability, and to build the crisis response capacities needed to support security and stability.”
In addition to plenary sessions and small-group discussions, summit attendees will experience Ghanaian culture and view a military demonstration by the Ghana Armed Forces.
About SETAF-AF
As the U.S. Army's operational headquarters in Africa, SETAF-AF builds readiness and operational capability with partners and allies, fosters regional security and stability, and strengthens the U.S. Army's ability to respond to crises and contingencies in support of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, as well as U.S. Africa Command.
