ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Hornpost) — The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), in partnership with the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), has launched the inaugural African Logistics and Communications Symposium (ALCS) in Addis Ababa, bringing together military leaders, defense experts, and industry representatives from 40 African countries to strengthen regional security cooperation.
The five-day symposium combines two long-running AFRICOM initiatives—the West Africa Logistics Conference and Africa Endeavor—into a single continent-wide forum designed to improve military logistics, communications, and interoperability among African partners.
Senior military leaders, logistics specialists, communications professionals, representatives from the African Union, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and defense industry partners are participating in discussions focused on operational readiness, crisis response, technological innovation, and sustainable defense partnerships.
“This is the first time that we’ve combined both logistics and communications, but they are absolutely critical to military operations, and you can’t conduct operations without them,” said Gen. Dagvin Anderson, Commander of U.S. Africa Command.
Anderson emphasized that investment in logistics and sustainment is fundamental to military effectiveness and remains a priority for strengthening African partner capabilities.
Brig. Gen. Paul Filcek, AFRICOM’s Director of Logistics, said integrating logistics and communications into a single forum reflects their interconnected role in modern military operations.
“We are now lacing those two together because of the critical importance and symbiotic relationship of those warfighting functions,” Filcek said, adding that the symposium has attracted a record level of defense industry participation to help develop scalable solutions for African partners.
The symposium was officially opened by Gen. Dagvin Anderson, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin Massinga, Ethiopian Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed Mussa, and African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ethiopian Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed Mussa highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation across the continent.
“The symposium provides an important platform for networking, integrated crisis response, and leveraging the defense industry to strengthen Africa’s security capabilities,” she said.
Throughout the symposium, delegates will participate in strategic discussions, technical workshops, and expert panels covering military logistics, secure communications, operations in contested environments, and public-private partnerships aimed at improving long-term defense capabilities.
According to AFRICOM, the event seeks to build a self-sustaining network of military and civilian professionals committed to enhancing regional security, expanding trade, and supporting economic development across Africa.
AFRICOM, one of the United States’ seven geographic combatant commands, oversees military engagement in 53 African countries, working with African partners to strengthen security institutions, counter transnational threats, respond to crises, and promote long-term regional stability.
