In a November 21-23 visit to Botswana, the Commander of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Stephen J. Townsend, met with Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, the Honorable Dr. Lemogang Kwape, and senior military members of the government of Botswana to advance the robust partnership between Botswana and the United States. AFRICOM is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany and is responsible for all U.S. Department of Defense operations, exercises, and security cooperation in Africa.
General Townsend thanked Botswana leadership for its invaluable contribution to the SADC Mission in Mozambique. He praised Botswana for its exemplary leadership in calling for a SADC assistance mission in Mozambique and demonstrating its commitment by contributing a strong Botswana Defence Forces (BDF) contingent to the operation.
General Townsend also discussed strengthening the U.S.-Botswana security partnership with bilateral and multilateral training, educational opportunities for military personnel, and humanitarian crisis response preparedness in southern Africa. General Townsend and Lieutenant General Placid Segokgo, Commander of the BDF, discussed disaster, humanitarian, and crisis responses and explored ways to enhance military-to-military engagement to strengthen bilateral responses to emergencies.
