CAPE TOWN, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will host a joint exercise with U.S. troops, with the aim of conducting a bilateral peace support operation (PSO) known as Exercise Shared Accord 2017, it was announced on Thursday.
The exercise is scheduled from July 17 to August 4 in Lohatla, Northern Cape Province, the SANDF said in a statement.
The exercise will be based on a scenario where a combined task group (CTG) will conduct a peace support operation and intervention operations under a UN Chapter 7 Mandate, the SANDF said.
"This is the more robust mandate whereby belligerent forces are forced to disengage and to discontinue the armed conflict within the region of the exercise area of Lohatla," SANDF spokesperson Piet Paxton said.
The U.S. army will exercise strategic lift by means of sea, air and road movement and the SANDF will exercise road movement support and replenishment, according to Paxton.
This mobilisation will be done from various and multiple locations in South Africa to the Northern Cape, Paxton said.
The joint exercise is expected to boost South Africa's military readiness to participate more effectively in UN or AU peacekeeping missions, military sources said.
