 opening ceremony on February 18, 2020. Read more.){kind=link}
US embassy in Addis Ababa
February 15, 2020
Updated on February 16, 2020 at 13:09 Hours Toronto Time
You are cordially invited to the eighth annual African Land Forces Summit 2020 (ALFS20) opening ceremony on February 18, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to approximately 10:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Hotel, Lalibela Grand Ballroom in Addis Ababa. Press should arrive at Sheraton Hotel no later than 8:00 a.m. in order to pass through security. Following the ceremony, there will be a press engagement from 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. with Ethiopian National Defense Force Chief of Ground Forces Lt. Gen. Molla Hailemariam and U.S. Army Africa commanding general, Maj. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier Jr. on behalf of GEN James C. McConville, U.S. Army Chief of Staff.
Over forty Land Force chiefs and representatives from across Africa are expected to attend the four-day summit. During the event, Land Force chiefs will exchange information on current topics of mutual interest and engage in candid dialogue to develop cooperative solutions to address trans-regional challenges and threats.
BACKGROUND:
ALFS 2020 will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, February 18-21, 2020. The theme for this year’s summit is “Tomorrow’s Security Demands Leadership Today” which reflects the shared belief that leadership development is an enduring responsibility among military leaders and a vital component of a professional army.
The inaugural ALFS was held in Washington, D.C., in 2010. ALFS 2012 was conducted in Kampala, Uganda, and was hosted by the U.S. Army in conjunction with the Uganda People’s Defense Forces. ALFS 2015 was held in Dakar, Senegal, and was hosted by the U.S. in conjunction with the Senegalese Defense Force. Initially, ALFS was a biannual event, but was interrupted by sequestration and competing U.S. Army priorities in 2014. In 2015, U.S. Army Africa decided to hold ALFS annually in order to build upon the relationships created in previous years. ALFS 2016 was held in Arusha, Tanzania, and was hosted by the U.S. in conjunction with the Tanzanian People’s Defense Force. ALFS 2017 was held in Lilongwe, Malawi and hosted by the U.S. in conjunction with the Malawi Defense Force. ALFS 2018 was held in Abuja, Nigeria and hosted by the U.S. in conjunction with the Nigerian Army. In 2019, ALFS was held in Gaborone, Botswana and co-hosted by the Botswana Defense Force.
Additional Resources:
- Website: http://www.usaraf.army.mil
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/USArmyAfrica
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica
- FLICKR: www.com/photos/USArmyAfrica Click on ALFS20
For more info please contact Zelalem Befekadu at BefekaduZE@state.gov or 091 150 9522
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