Northern Strike

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Alex Beckstrand, assigned to Team 2, Marine Corps Advisor Company Alpha, Marine Corps Forces South (MARFORSOUTH), instructs Senegalese Armed Forces personnel during a joint planning process course at Centre d’Entraînement Tactique 2 (CET2) in Dodji, Senegal, May 7, 2025. The training, conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Army’s 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade (2nd SFAB), Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC), supports African Lion 2025 (AL25) by enhancing multinational planning and staff integration. AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 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. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Solomon Navarro)