2007年VOA标准英语-Military Experts Gather in Africa to Develop Co

By Efam Dovi
Accra
18 April 2007

Military communications experts from Africa, Europe and North America, are finalizing¹ strategies for testing a continental² communication network facility. Efam Dovi reports from the Ghanaian capital that the Ghana army and the United States European Command brought the experts together for a conference in Accra.

 

The conference, Africa Endeavor 2007, is being described as the most powerful security cooperation effort in Africa.

 

The communications facility will allow organizations and national security institutions throughout Africa to share information. And it will link with institutions outside the continent.

 

The system forms part of a larger strategy to support the African Union's Standby Force as it responds to crises.

 

Brigadier General Emmanuel Klutsey of the Ghana army says being able to effectively share information will help better secure the continent.

"How do you circulate information if you cannot use the system that you have? So being secure means that if we have an efficient communication system on the whole of Africa, then it means the least information we will get from country "A", country "A" can pass this information on to the rest of its neighbors," he said.

 

The Bush administration is creating a new African command to coordinate³ all U.S. military and security activity in Africa.

 

Lieutenant⁴ Colonel Kevin Warthon is from the U.S. European Command and the exercise director of the conference. He explains how the African Endeavor relates to the new command's mission.

"African Endeavor will probably become one of the premier⁵ exercises for the African Command, in that the African Command will have as one of its responsibilities, to assist African nations as we are doing now in developing command and control communications, information systems processes and procedures that will allow it to effectively communicate among itself and with coalition⁶ partners," he said.

Warthon says the U.S. also sees the communications facility as a tool in the fight against terrorism.

"We believe that there are certain regions in Africa that will probably will lend itself to the basing of terrorist groups. So again, as we can effectively share information with each other to prevent that from happening here, we think that is a good thing to do and it is part of our mission."

About 100 delegates at the conference will approve test and support plans for the second Africa Endeavor workshop in South Africa later in the year to test the system.

1 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

2 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

3 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

4 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

5 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。