The United States Army
04/15/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/16/2026 07:08
Roaring into action: African Lion 2026 begins in Tunisia
U.S. Army paratroopers with 4th Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, conduct live-fire drills alongside Tunisian troops with a M119 howitzer as part of exercise African Lion 2025 (AL25), at Ben Ghilouf Training Area, Tunisia, April 26, 2025.
AL25 is set to be the largest annual military exercise in Africa, bringing together over 40 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations-preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jose Lora) VIEW ORIGINAL Multinational leaders from the U.S. and Tunisian armed forces pose for a group photo following the opening ceremony for African Lion 2026 at El Aouina Air Base, Tunisia, April 13, 2026. African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command's largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (Courtesy photo by the Tunisian Armed Forces) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) VIEW ORIGINAL
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AL25 is set to be the largest annual military exercise in Africa, bringing together over 40 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations-preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jose Lora) VIEW ORIGINAL Multinational leaders from the U.S. and Tunisian armed forces pose for a group photo following the opening ceremony for African Lion 2026 at El Aouina Air Base, Tunisia, April 13, 2026. African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command's largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (Courtesy photo by the Tunisian Armed Forces) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) VIEW ORIGINAL
TUNIS, Tunisia - Military forces from Tunisia, the United States and international partner nations officially inaugurated Exercise African Lion 2026, April 13. The multinational engagement in Tunisia, scheduled to conclude April 30, serves as a venue for strengthening regional security cooperation and refining the readiness of participating forces in a complex, global security environment.
Tunisia marks its 10th consecutive year as a host nation for African Lion and is the first of four countries to facilitate the 2026 iteration. Follow-on phases of the exercise are scheduled to begin in Ghana, Morocco and Senegal later this month.
"African Lion 2026 is focused on strengthening readiness across a combined and joint force, advancing shared understanding among partners, and enhancing interoperability in preparation for crisis response," said Eldridge Browne, chief of exercises for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF). "Now in its 10th year of execution in Tunisia, we continue to build on the accomplishments of previous iterations. AL26 reinforces our collective ability to counter terrorism, contribute to regional security, and improve effectiveness across multiple functional areas."
The exercise demonstrates a significant scale of international integration, with more than 7,000 personnel from more than 30 nations participating across the four host countries. Approximately 560 military personnel are currently operating in Tunisia. NATO allies, including France and Italy, have also joined Tunisian and U.S. forces to conduct synchronized maneuvers.
U.S. Army Col. Jorn Pung, left, defense attaché for the U.S. Embassy to Tunisia, discusses the start of African Lion 2026 with Tunisian Senior Col. Majid Mguidich, African Lion 2026 exercise director, and U.S. Army leaders during the opening ceremony at El Aouina Air Base, Tunisia, April 13, 2026. African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command's largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (Courtesy photo by the Tunisian Armed Forces) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett) VIEW ORIGINAL
Training coordinators designed AL26's curriculum to enhance multinational response capabilities to emerging crises through a series of academic symposiums and field training events. The exercise focuses on integrating combined arms, command post simulations and advanced planning modules to ensure seamless interoperability across diverse military structures.
Core competencies under evaluation include chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense. Under the State Partnership Program, the Wyoming National Guard is conducting joint training with Tunisian forces to mitigate chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the Wyoming-Tunisia partnership.
Training also includes air-to-ground integration, counter-improvised explosive device tactics and special operations maneuvers. AL26 has also prioritized strategic sessions on cyber warfare and security training to address modern digital threats.
The U.S. contingent in Tunisia represents a comprehensive Total Force approach, incorporating active-duty soldiers alongside the National Guard, Army Reserve, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps.
U.S. Army Col. Jorn Pung, defense attaché for the U.S. Embassy to Tunisia, discusses the start of African Lion 2026 with Tunisian Senior Col. Majid Mguidich, African Lion 2026 exercise director, during the opening ceremony at El Aouina Air Base, Tunisia, April 13, 2026. African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command's largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (Courtesy photo by the Tunisian Armed Forces) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
By standardizing procedures and fostering professional military relationships with Tunisian, European and African counterparts, Exercise African Lion 2026 reinforces a collective commitment to regional stability and the principle of peace through strength. As the exercise host, Tunisia showcases its position as a regional leader in exporting stability and addressing shared security concerns.
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About African Lion
African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command's largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security.
African Lion content can be found on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
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The United States Army published this content on April 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 16, 2026 at 13:08 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]