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Video by Sgt. 1st Class Solomon Navarro

Interview: US paratrooper discusses mutual benefits of African Lion 2025 in Senegal

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

May 14, 2025 | 2:24

U.S. Army Capt. Austen Deppe, commander of Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, reflects on his unit’s experience during African Lion 2025 (AL25), in Dodji, Senegal, May 22, 2025. Deppe highlighted the value of mutual learning, stating he was especially proud of how his Soldiers absorbed new knowledge from partner forces while also reinforcing their own training objectives. 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 U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia. This large-scale exercise enhances our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations—preparing forces to deploy, fight and win. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. 1st Class Solomon Navarro)