Staff Sgt. Chad Sloane of U.S. Army Africa, based in Vicenza, Italy, gives pointers to a Rwandan trainer during an exercise in Gabiro, Rwanda, as Master Sgt. George Duenas, rear left, observes. The Rwandan soldiers will in turn train their own troops. Sloane and Duenas are participating in training as part of a British-run team. (Rick Scavetta / U.S. Army)
Master Sgt. George Duenas and Staff Sgt. Chad Sloane are doing their part to try to make Africa a safer place.
The two soldiers from U.S. Army Africa are currently working with a team from the British army to train instructors with the Rwandan army. Those instructors will then train their own troops — many of whom will serve as peacekeepers in places such as Sudan.
It’s the fourth deployment to Africa for Duenas since he’s been based in Vicenza, Italy. He has worked previously in Uganda, Botswana and East Africa.
"I’ve done this type of mission before," he said in a phone interview. "Smaller training teams on the request of the host country."
But this time, there’s the twist of working as part of the British-run team.
Maj. Charles Malet leads a contingent of British forces based in Kenya. He said the decision to invite the Americans to participate makes sense on a number of levels.
"We’ve been producing short-term training in this part of the world for a long, long time," Malet said during the same interview. "[U.S. Africa Command] has stood [up]. It’s great to link up and provide a sort of introduction."
Duenas and Sloane said that they have discovered there are not only spoken language gaps, but also differences in body language they have to deal with. In fact, Sloane — on his first deployment to Africa — said the monthlong deployment has been an eye-opening experience.
"It’s not what I expected," he said. "It’s hard to explain. But there’s just a lot more to Africa than I expected."
Both said their students in the three-week course have been quick studies.
"They are very receptive," Duenas said. "Very attentive. They listen to everything in detail."
None had participated in U.S.-style tactics of clearing a building, for instance. The students went through the process one day, were leading other troops through the same tactics the next day.
Sloane said he’s passed along specific pointers, but has also picked up ideas from the British and Rwandan participants.
"It’s always a learning experience working with other militaries," he said. "I can take a lot of stuff away from this."
Malet said the team is trying not only to provide some new tactics for the Rwandan forces, but also to provide a framework for trainers on how to train others — regardless of the tactics. There are only a few dozen Rwandans participating, but they in turn can train hundreds or thousands of others.
He said he hopes that U.S. and British forces will have more opportunities to work together to build up the capabilities of developing African militaries.
The British team’s mission is "essentially conflict prevention in the region. Partnership is a key word in all of this. The Americans are a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish here."
