Airmen arrive for partnership event in Angola

by Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Wilson
USAFE-AFAFRICA Public Affairs

3/23/2014 - LUANDA, Angola  -- More than 20 U.S. Air Force Airmen arrived here last week to participate in African Partnership Flight, cohosted by Angola and the U.S.

This year Airmen from the Angolan air force; Zambian air force; and U.S. Airmen from U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, the 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron, and Portuguese speakers from the Language Enabled Airman Program are participating in the event.

"It is great to be here in Luanda with our partners from Angola and Zambia," said Lt. Col. Peter Larsen, APF mission commander. "We plan to take full advantage of this opportunity to learn from each other so we come out of this experience more cohesive partners for the future."

African Partnership Flight is a collaborative learning environment, which helps air forces from the U.S. and partner nations in Africa work better together. The first APF was hosted in March 2012 and the program has since become a premier program for U.S. Africa Command to help foster security and stability throughout Africa.

This APF includes classroom discussions as well as hands-on experience with topics including mission planning, disaster preparedness and cargo buildup.

Throughout the week of APF, the USAFE Band ensemble Touch n' Go will be performing outreach events for the community and local schools.

The overall goal of APF is to strengthen the partnerships between the United States and air forces in Africa to continue building regional air force cooperation capabilities.