Senegal, US and allied medical teams conclude multinational medical readiness exercise during African Lion 26

ZIGUINCHOR, Senegal — Military medical personnel representing the U.S., Senegal, Italy and Austria concluded a multinational Medical Readiness Exercise (MEDREX) in southern Senegal to end African Lion 26, May 8.

From April 25 to May 8, U.S. Army medical professionals from the Vermont National Guard worked alongside Senegalese Armed Forces healthcare providers and allied medical teams from Austria and Italy. Training took place at multiple medical facilities across Senegal, where participating forces exchanged expertise and refined their ability to provide effective care in complex environments.

This training event focused on critical wartime medical skills, including point-of-injury care, blast and trauma management, surgical treatment and patient recovery through rehabilitation.

“Over the past two weeks, our team worked side by side with our Senegalese partners, completing 350 patient encounters,” said U.S. Army Col. Christopher Gookin, commander of the Vermont National Guard Medical Readiness Detachment.

“That’s the greatest strength of these Medical Readiness Exercise missions — not just what is provided, but what is gained through partnership.”

Led by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), this MEDREX prepared military medical personnel to operate outside traditional clinical settings while strengthening multinational interoperability.

“Medical Readiness Exercises allow multinational medical teams to exchange expertise and strengthen their ability to operate in complex environments,” said U.S. Army Col. Scot Tebo, command surgeon for SETAF-AF.

“Training alongside our Senegalese, Austrian and Italian partners improves coordination, readiness and our collective ability to provide care during operational missions.”

This year’s MEDREX proved highly successful, with participants treating more than 350 patients throughout the exercise. The mission enabled multinational medical teams to collaborate in unfamiliar and operational environments, strengthening interoperability, readiness and adaptability.

Throughout the exercise, medical teams worked side by side to improve coordination, strengthen professional relationships and enhance readiness to deliver care in operational environments.

The MEDREX also highlighted the longstanding partnership between Senegal and the Vermont National Guard through the Department of War National Guard State Partnership Program, which has fostered decades of military cooperation and training exchanges.

The exercise reinforced enduring partnerships among participating nations and built the trust and coordination needed to respond to shared security challenges.

African Lion 2026 (AL26) is U.S. Africa Command's largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security.