Kenya will host the inaugural Association of African Air Forces Command Post and Field Training Exercise, known as AAAFEX 2027, in January 2027, with Nairobi, Kisumu and Busia serving as the main venues.
The multinational exercise will test how African air forces mobilize aircraft, personnel and command systems during humanitarian emergencies, particularly floods, according to the website of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa.
The Kenya Air Force is coordinating preparations with the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa and the Association of African Air Forces secretariat. According to Kenya’s Ministry of Defense, AAAFEX 2027 will be the association’s first exercise to combine a command-post simulation with a live-fly field training component.
The drill will simulate a flood emergency and assess whether participating forces can rapidly integrate multinational air resources, establish common command and air-tasking procedures, and deliver humanitarian assistance to affected communities under Kenyan leadership.
Kenya’s Defense Forces said the exercise is intended to improve interoperability, operational readiness and the continent’s ability to respond to both humanitarian crises and emerging security threats.
The exercise is expected to produce practical lessons that participating air forces can apply in real-world humanitarian and security operations.
Preparations advanced during a trilateral meeting at Kenya Air Force headquarters on October 15, which brought together a delegation led by Major General Melissa Coburn, representing the AAAF co-chair, AAAF Secretary-General Colonel Kristin Cullinan of the United States, and co-Secretary-General Captain Olakule Bankole of Nigeria.
Delegates also met the Eastern African Standby Force, inspected facilities at Kisumu Airport and reviewed cooperation arrangements at Moi Air Base. Earlier, representatives from 15 AAAF member states and the United States attended a mid-planning conference in Nairobi from August 3 to 7 August.
