Sunday, February 01, 2015

American Interventionist Force re-organised

Two American European-based units that operate in Africa have merged in an effort to streamline the US Marine Corps missions on the vast continent. The Corps has combined SPMAGTF-Africa, a unit based in Italy that conducts training with military partners in African countries like Uganda and Senegal, with its Spain-based unit that responds to crises across Africa. The two units now fall under SPMAGTF-Crisis Response-Africa. Merging the two SPMAGTFs operating in Africa puts the two missions under more direction of one colonel.
Detachment B, which will be based in Romania but support SPMAGTF-Crisis Response-Africa will serve as a force protection company that is prepared to reinforce embassies or recover downed pilots and personnel. Detachment A will fill the mission previously held by SPMAGTF-Africa. Those troops, which include infantry, aviation and support Marines, will regularly deploy to Africa for theater security cooperation operations.

About 265 Marines and sailors will be based at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, where SPMAGTF-Africa was previously based. About 850 Marines and sailors will be based in Morón, Spain, where the crisis response force for Africa has been based since it was created in 2013.


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