Press is invited to Thiès for the Distinguished Visitor day on Wednesday, February 24. A bus will depart from the King Fahd Palace at 7:30 am for an all-day even which will include observation of some of the exercise (building assault) and a press conference with the Senegalese military. 

The annual military exercise Flintlock debuted in Thiès on January 8, 2016. Senegalese military units are welcoming Special Operations Forces from European and North American countries to train alongside soldiers from African nations.  The U.S. military participation in the exercise is led by USAFRICOM, the U.S. military command engaged in Africa.

Flintlock training activities are aimed at increasing safety and security in West Africa while strengthening government institutions, promoting multilateral sharing of information and developing interoperability among participating nations.  Flintlock is an annual training exercise and was hosted last year by Chad.  This year’s Flintlock event is projected to be the largest-ever for the cooperative military training event and will mark the third time Senegal has hosted in recent years.