US Cancels Planned Joint Military Exercise with SA

There will be no exercise shared accord this month, with the department of international relations and cooperation informed by the US embassy in South Africa that this year's planned joint SA-US humanitarian exercise is off.

- defenceWeb

According to a diplomatic note from the US embassy, it informed "the appropriate South African agencies that the US department of defence has cancelled exercise shared accord".

"Unfortunately, the department of defence and military veterans presented requirements deemed inconsistent with the agreements between our governments."

The exercise was set to take place in the Free State from Monday to 22 August, with the focus on peace support, humanitarian relief and combat scenarios.

The exercise also, in previous iterations, enhanced interoperability, strengthened defence partnerships and built joint response capabilities.

The cancellation comes days after the US military command responsible for Africa was reported as "intensifying its outreach and partnerships across Southern Africa, with recent high-level visits and summits underscoring the strategic importance of the region".

This saw high-level visits to Angola and Botswana, which prompted