U.S. Africa Command hosted a junior leader military-to-military communications conference in San Diego, Feb. 20-27.

The conference, managed by Marine Gunnery Sgt. Hector Milan, AFRICOM's military-to-military program manager for communications, drew more than 10 junior leaders representing eight African nations.

"These conferences happen five times a year, with two of them focusing on junior leaders," said Milan. "The main purpose of these conferences is to help establish better communication between the U.S. and our African partner nations."

African leaders experienced several events throughout the conference to include tours of Science Applications International Corporation Command, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado and Camp Pendleton.

"Every conference [participants] are taken to different DOD commands so they can talk to U.S. military members to see how they communicate and conduct business," said Milan. "They take that information back to their countries and governments so they have a better understanding of how to make improvements."

The communications conference afforded Burkina Faso Capt. Karim Konate his first trip to America.

"I will share my experiences with other officers from my country about how to make our country's communication better as a nation," said Konate. "The most important thing about this is not just to see U.S. communications but how the other African countries communicate and how to improve."

During a visit to Naval Special Warfare Command and Special Boat Team 12, the attendees were able to get hands-on experience with the newest military-grade radios and communications devices.

"They were shown radios and communication capabilities that are used on our different rigid-hull inflatable boats and speed boats," said Electronics Technician 2nd Class Joseph Bagley, assigned to Special Boat Team 12. "This visit is important because working with allies builds strong relationships and helps us work better together with the foreign militaries.

"They were happy to be able to use and see how different radios and communication transponders work," added Bagley.

AFRICOM is trying to reduce communications obstacles when working with different nations and cultures.

"AFRICOM covers 53 different nations and the biggest challenges remain in communications," said Milan. "This conference's purpose is to try to help all of us speak the same language so we are not wasting time when it comes to completing missions."

"We are trying to find common ground and tackle these challenges in a multinational environment," added Milan.

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