Stuttgart, Germany — U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Tanzania Peoples' Defence Forces (TPDF) hosted the Chiefs & Directors of Military Intelligence Conference (CDMIC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from April 30 to May 3.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Tanzania Peoples' Defence Forces (TPDF) hosted the Chiefs & Directors of Military Intelligence Conference (CDMIC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from April 30 to May 3.
Keynote speakers included U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Rose Keravuori, AFRICOM director of intelligence, alongside TPDF Chief of Defence Intelligence Maj. Gen. Mbaraka Mkeremy.
The 2024 conference highlights AFRICOM's commitment to fostering collaborative relationships with African partners, emphasizing the significance of intelligence engagement, and mutual interests. Serving as a pivotal forum, the conference facilitated the cultivation of collective strategies to address common challenges across Africa. Moreover, the conference reinforced AFRICOM's whole-of-government approach, integrating diplomacy, development, and defense in its engagement with African counterparts.
Keravuori underscored the critical importance of timely intelligence sharing by introducing the innovative concept of intelligence diplomacy. She said this approach leverages intelligence as a key tool to inform decisions, foster alignment in strategies and perspectives, facilitate collaborative actions, and deny adversaries any undue advantages.
"Your calls will always be welcomed and your perspectives earnestly considered," said Keravouri as she emphasized the command's commitment to open communication.
Participants from 33 African nations converged to delve into crucial themes such as: The Challenge of Hybrid Threats in Africa; Violent Extremism & Organized Crime in Africa: Coexistence & Convergence; and Military Intelligence in the Maritime Domain: Enabling Early Warning across a Spectrum of Threats.
Gen. João Pereira Massano, head of the Angolan Military Intelligence and Security Service and co-host of the 2023 CDMIC, echoed this sentiment.
"The acquisition of information through extensive networks of relationships fosters and facilitates meaningful exchanges," he said.
In his remarks, Mkeremy discussed the importance of partnership, characterizing it as a dual role of being both a friend and a brother at the same time.
"Our collective aim is to collaborate in crafting African-led solutions to prevailing challenges, while also striving to foster opportunities for the youth and prosperity for all," said Mkeremy.
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Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, senior fellow and director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies emphasized the relevance of intelligence diplomacy in addressing an expanding spectrum of global threats, ranging from organized crime to terrorism to digital disruptions. Dizolele asserted that intelligence diplomacy as a potent tool for states to forge mutually beneficial partnerships in the face of such challenges. Engagements like CDMIC, he said, play a pivotal role in nurturing essential bonds of trust that drive effective intelligence collaboration. Ultimately, Dizolele concluded, security cooperation hinges on the foundation of trust.
U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, is one of 11 U.S. Department of Defense combatant commands, each with a geographic or functional mission that provides command and control of military forces in peace and war. U.S. Africa Command employs the broad-reaching diplomacy, development, and defense approach to foster interagency efforts and help negate the drivers of conflict and extremism in Africa.
For more information, visit our website (https://www.africom.mil), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AFRICOM/) and Twitter (@USAfricaCommand), or contact U.S. Africa Command Media Relations at africom-pao-media@mail.mil.
