U.S. Army Major General Charles Hooper Visits with Members of the AU PSOD

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – March 16, 2012

U.S. Army Major General Charles Hooper

On March 16, United States Army Major General Charles Hooper, Director, Strategic Planning and Policy at the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), visited Addis Ababa and the United States Mission to the African Union (USAU) to deliver closing remarks as well as meet with members of the AU Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) staff following a two-week course at the USAFRICOM funded Defense Resources Management Institute (DRMI).

The course focused on integrating strategic planning with programmatic budget planning and is structured to build resource management and planning capacity within the AU, with specific focus on PSOD activities as the PSOD is responsible for both AU peace support operations and the African Standby Force (ASF).  The two-week course was funded by the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) at a cost of $100,000.

Through its mission to the African Union, the United States Government provides equipment, logistics support, advice, and training to various departments within the AU’s Peace and Security Commission.  The successful completion of the recent DRMI course is another example of the robust partnership that exists between the United States and the African Union.