About U.S. Africa Command

The United States Africa Command, also known as U.S. AFRICOM, is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). As one of six that are regionally focused, it is devoted solely to Africa. U.S. AFRICOM is responsible to the Secretary of Defense for U.S. military relations with 54 African countries. USAFRICOM better enables the Department of Defense to work with other elements of the U.S. government and others to achieve a more stable environment where political and economic growth can take place. U.S. AFRICOM is committed to supporting U.S. government objectives through the delivery and sustainment of effective security cooperation programs that assist African nations build their security capacity to enable them to better provide for their own defense. The command was created by presidential order in 2007 and was officially activated October 1, 2007. It became fully operational October 1, 2008, with   General William E. “Kip” Ward serving as its first commander.  U.S. Army General Carter F. Ham became the second commander of U.S. AFRICOM on March 9, 2011.

AFRICOM Mission Statement

Africa Command protects and defends the national security interests of the United States by strengthening the defense capabilities of African states and regional organizations and, when directed, conducts military operations, in order to deter and defeat transnational threats and to provide a security environment conducive to good governance and development.

Commander's Intent

Our purpose is twofold: 1) to protect the U.S. homeland, American citizens abroad, and our national interests from transnational threats emanating from Africa; and 2) through sustained engagement, to enable our African partners to create a security environment that promotes stability, improved governance, and continued development. Should preventive or enabling efforts fail, we must always be prepared to prevail against any individual or organization that poses a threat to the United States, our national interests, or our allies and partners.

Africa Command’s activities, plans, and operations are centered on two guiding principles:

• A safe, secure, and stable Africa is in our national interest.
• Over the long run, it will be Africans who will best be able to address African security challenges and that AFRICOM most effectively advances U.S. security interests through focused security engagement with our African partners.

Our most important military tasks are:

• Deter or defeat al-Qaida and other violent extremist organizations operating in Africa and deny them safe haven.
• Strengthen the defense capabilities of key African states and regional partners. Through enduring and tailored engagement, help them build defense institutions and military forces that are capable, sustainable, subordinate to civilian authority, respectful of the rule of law, and committed to the well-being of their fellow citizens. Increase the capacity of key states to contribute to regional and international military activities aimed at preserving peace and combating transnational threats to security.
• Ensure U.S. access to and through Africa in support of global requirements.
• Be prepared, as part of a whole of government approach, to help protect Africans from mass atrocities. The most effective way in which we do this is through our sustained engagement with African militaries.
• When directed, provide military support to humanitarian assistance efforts.

Listening to our partners

An important part of this approach is that we learn from our African partners what is important to them. We listen carefully to their concerns through hundreds of interactive activities, such as conferences, exercises, training, and familiarization programs.

Our African partners have expressed four common, defense-oriented goals that are consistent with U.S. interests and AFRICOM objectives:

• That they have capable and accountable military forces that perform professionally and with integrity
• That their forces are supported and sustained by effective, legitimate, and professional security institutions
• That they have the capability to exercise the means nationally and regionally to dissuade, deter, and defeat transnational threats
• That they have the capacity to increase their support to international peacekeeping efforts

AFRICOM’s Programs and Activities

Our approach is subordinate to overall U.S. government policy goals in support of the broader U.S. strategy in Africa. We work in concert with our interagency partners, such as the U.S. Department of State (DOS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to ensure our plans and activities directly support U.S. foreign policy objectives.

U.S. AFRICOM’s programs and activities support the development of capable, professional partner military forces, and are integrated and coordinated with the DOS, U.S. Chiefs of Mission, and our international partners. U.S. Africa Command conducts several categories of activities to support our four primary goals and address current security challenges that threaten stability. The primary purposes of our activities can be categorized as follows:

• Building the capacity of partner conventional forces
• Supporting capacity building of partner security forces
• Building the capacity of partner enabling forces
• Fostering strong strategic relationships
• Conducting defense sector reform
• Fostering regional cooperation, situational awareness, and interoperability
• Countering transnational and extremist threats
• Contributing to stability in current zones of conflict
• Addressing conditions that contribute to instability

We conduct these activities with our partners with a long-term goal to help prevent crises from becoming conflicts, mainly in the form of capacity building events in support of their four common defense-oriented goals. (See the section titled “Security Cooperation – the Cornerstone of Our Engagement”)

Interagency Personnel

USAFRICOM recognizes it is part of a diverse U.S. government interagency team that reflects the talents, expertise, and capabilities within the entire U.S. government. USAFRICOM was the first regional command to integrate from its inception advisors and experts from other U.S. government agencies. As of December 2010, the command has four Senior Foreign Service (SFS) officers in key positions as well as more than 30 personnel from 13 U.S. government departments and agencies serving in leadership, management, and staff positions. Some of the agencies represented are Departments of State, Treasury, and Commerce; U.S. Agency for International Development; and the U.S. Coast Guard. The most senior is a career State Department official who serves as the deputy to the commander for civil-military activities. Members of these agencies bring invaluable expertise to help the command ensure its plans and activities complement those of other U.S. government programs and fit within the context of U.S. foreign policy.

Components, Sub-Unified Command, and Combined Joint Task Force

AFRICOM’s subordinate commands (listed below) set the conditions for success of our security cooperation programs and activities on the continent. They perform detailed planning, provide essential command and control, establish and sustain relationships with our partners, and provide timely assessments.

U.S. Army Africa (USARAF), Vicenza, Italy
U.S. Naval Forces, Africa (NAVAF), Naples, Italy
U.S. Air Forces, Africa (AFAFRICA), Ramstein Air Base, Germany
U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Africa (MARFORAF), Stuttgart, Germany
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti
Special Operations Command-Africa (SOCAFRICA), Stuttgart, Germany

AFRICOM Funding

The fiscal year 2010 approved budget is $302 million for operations and maintenance of the headquarters, to pay salaries of civil service employees assigned to the headquarters, and to conduct various types of military-to-military programs, such as the Partner Military HIV/AIDS Prevention Program. These figures do not include the value of other support such as individual service expenditures and other sources that AFRICOM does not directly receive for execution, such as funding for exercises. In FY2009, the command executed $310 million in operations and maintenance funding. In fiscal years 2007 (our start-up year) and 2008, the command executed a combined $125 million.

AFRICOM Personnel

U.S. Africa Command completed fiscal year 2010 with approximately 2,000 assigned personnel, which includes military, civilian, contractor, and host nation employees. About 1,500 work at the command’s main headquarters in Stuttgart. Others are assigned to AFRICOM units at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and RAF Molesworth, England, along with a small number of officers posted at U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions in Africa to coordinate Defense Department programs within the host nation.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

Why is U.S. Africa Command headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany? Prior to the creation of Africa Command, U.S. military-to-military relations with the majority (42) of African nations were managed by the U.S. European Command (EUCOM), which has been located in Stuttgart since 1967. U.S. Africa Command, as an evolution of the European Command, brought EUCOM’s focus on military engagement and security assistance programs along with staff members who managed Africa portfolios. The command moved into existing facilities at our Kelley Barracks location, where U.S. military administrative office space has existed for decades.

What are the command’s plans to move to a location in Africa or elsewhere or establish bases in Africa? The command has no plans to move its headquarters from Stuttgart and will be located here for the foreseeable future. In addition, USAFRICOM is not seeking the establishment of bases in Africa or anywhere else.

What is the command’s Area of Responsibility? U.S. Africa Command is responsible to the Secretary of Defense for U.S. military relations with 54 African countries, including the islands of Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe, along with the Indian Ocean islands of Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles. U.S. Central Command maintains its traditional relationship with Egypt, though USAFRICOM coordinates with Egypt on issues relating to Africa security.

What exactly is CJTF-HOA? The Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) is USAFRICOM’s forward operating task force located at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. It is one of more than 23 tenant organizations working at Camp Lemonnier. CJTF-HOA has approximately 2,000 people assigned on rotating tours. While the core staff works at Camp Lemonnier, most of the servicemembers assigned to CJTF-HOA are “embedded” in partner nations performing a range of activities – building partner security capability, capacity, and infrastructure through regional cooperation; military-to-military programs; civil-military affairs projects; and professional military education programs. Through an indirect approach, the task force, along with coalition and other U.S. defense components, provides support to regional organizations to help foster cooperation, enhance collective peace-keeping, improve humanitarian assistance, and support civil-military operations. For more, please visit the CJTF-HOA web site .

What is Camp Lemonnier? The U.S. has a lease agreement with the government of Djibouti to use Camp Lemonnier, which supports approximately 3,500 U.S., joint, and allied forces military and civilian personnel and U.S. Department of Defense contractors. U.S. military facilities at Camp Lemonnier are managed by the U.S. Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia command. Additionally, the camp provides employment for approximately 1,200 workers from Djibouti and other nations. For more on Camp Lemonnier, please visit the CNIC web site .

To learn more about U.S. Africa Command’s program and activities, please browse the following pages and documents:
U.S. AFRICOM POSTURE STATEMENT
U.S. AFRICOM COMMANDER’S INTENT
RESEARCH OUR COMMAND

SECURITY COOPERATION – THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR ENGAGEMENT

USAFRICOM’s Theater Security Cooperation programs remain the cornerstone of our sustained security engagement with African partners. Below is a brief look at a few of our programs and activities that address our three primary capacity building functions: building operational capacity, building institutional capacity, and developing human capital:

Building Operational Capacity

Africa Partnership Station (APS)

Africa Partnership Station is the command’s premier maritime security engagement program. As a multinational security cooperation initiative, APS helps strengthen maritime security capacity through maritime training, collaboration, infrastructure building, and cross-border cooperation. In 2010, APS included representatives from 9 European allies, 17 African countries, and Brazil. Its aim is to improve maritime safety and security in Africa while building lasting relationships. To do this, APS focuses on addressing four primary focus areas: maritime professionals, maritime infrastructure, maritime domain awareness, and maritime response capability while simultaneously fostering both a regional and comprehensive approach. Expertise shared during the mission includes law at sea, port security, maritime interdiction operations, small boat maintenance, medical training and more.

APS is in its fourth year and visits both coasts of Africa. APS 2011, which began February 1 in Lome, Togo, consists of seven U.S. ships and will conduct activities with 22 African nations. These exchanges will involve more than 7,000 maritime professionals.

The APS concept originated at the Benin Ministerial Conference in 2006 when the United States and a number of African and European countries came together to discuss ways of improving maritime safety and security in Africa. The enduring mission began in fall 2007, and now African navies are planning jointly, sharing information at sea, and working together as a result of APS. This includes multi-national exercises off the west and east coasts of Africa as well as in the Gulf of Guinea.

For more on APS, please visit the U.S Navy’s Sixth Fleet Web Site

Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans-Sahara (OEF-TS)

Operation Enduring Freedom-Trans Sahara is the Department of Defense support to the U.S. Government’s Trans Sahara Counter Terrorism Partnership (TSCTP) program, which focuses on overall security rather than solely on counterterrorism. The partnership comprises the United States and 10 African countries: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia. OEF-TS extends previous efforts to train and equip company-sized partner nation forces to help deter the flow of illicit arms, goods, and people, and to preclude terrorists from establishing sanctuaries. Under the program, training, equipment and specific units are focused on counter terrorism. In addition, U.S. forces provide mentorship focused on leadership and responsibility.

This is the USG’s third priority counterterrorism effort and supports the TSCTP mission by forming relationships of peace, security, and cooperation among all trans-Sahara nations. OEF-TS activities foster collaboration and communication among participating countries. Furthermore, OEF-TS helps strengthen counterterrorism and border security, promote democratic governance, reinforce bilateral military ties, and enhance development and institution building. AFRICOM, through OEF-TS, provides training, equipment, assistance and advice to partner nation armed forces. This increases their capacity and capability to deny safe haven to terrorists and ultimately defeat violent extremist organizations in the region.

For more information, please see the OEF-TS Fact Sheet and the TSCTP Fact Sheet

Other programs designed to address operational capacity are:
Exercise Flintlock
Exercise Natural Fire
Exercise MEDFLAG
State Partnership Program

Building Institutional Capacity

Operation Onward Liberty (OOL)

In January 2010, USAFRICOM began a Defense Sector Reform (DSR) program to support the Department of State’s broader Security Sector Reform program in Liberia. Called Operation Onward Liberty (OOL), the five-year program provides uniformed U.S. military mentors and advisors to the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) to develop the AFL’s ability to independently sustain and train the force, contribute to the development of a professional officer and NCO corps, and institute a unit training and evaluation system that reinforces an enduring AFL ability to support the national security objectives of the government of Liberia.

From 2006-2009, the Department of State-led Liberia Security Sector Reform (LSSR) program utilized contract trainers to vet and train a 2,000-person Armed Forces of Liberia. The initial training and evaluation finished in December 2009. Under USAFRICOM’s DSR, the AFL is responsible for training its own forces on company-level basic infantry tactics, techniques and procedures, as well as providing logistics training to its soldiers. The U.S. military provides about 50-60 advisors and mentors to continue the U.S. assistance and support to the AFL’s military transformation. Under OOL, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa (MARFORAF) is the lead component for U.S. Africa Command.

For more on this program, please see U.S. Military Security Assistance in Liberia Progresses

Liberia also reactivated its Coast Guard in February 2010, and, under the DSR progam, the U.S. Coast Guard provides a senior officer as a maritime advisor and to oversee funding and training. For more, please see our Liberian Coast Guard vignette

Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP)

African nations have felt the effects of illegal oil bunkering, poaching of fisheries, drug trafficking and piracy. This was the impetus for the Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) Program, which is now in its third year. The AMLEP Program exercises bilateral agreements, which are maritime law enforcement agreements between the U.S. and a partner nation that address illicit transnational maritime activity, such as drug interdiction and fisheries enforcement. Each bilateral agreement is tailored to respect a partner nation’s internal governmental and political processes and their laws and policies.

Missions conducted under bilateral agreements share with partner nations the Coast Guard’s law enforcement skill set for conducting law enforcement boardings, gathering evidence, maintaining chains of custody, and at sea space accountability. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs) are embarked aboard U.S. Navy or Coast Guard vessels, where the LEDET is able to train African partners and actually engage with them in law enforcement operations. If arrests are made, they are normally done by the African nation maritime force and brought back to their judicial system for prosecution. AMLEP assists in allowing the host nation to venture farther out to sea, working to expand the Rule of Law in often lawless waters.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s platform in 2010 was the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk, which spent three months off the West coast of Africa executing the AMLEP mission. Mohwak conducted joint boardings and right of approach queries with embarked partner law enforcement teams from Senegal and Sierra Leone. The value of AMLEP was demonstrated in particular by the Senegalese in September 2010 when they boarded a suspect fishing vessel and located methamphetamine. The vessel was subsequently detained and remanded to Dakar for further investigation.

Joint and combined operations by an African host nation's law enforcement boarding team along with a U.S. Coast Guard boarding team operating from a U.S. Coast Guard or U.S. Navy vessel.

Other programs designed to address institutional capacity are:
Exercise Africa Endeavor
PILOT-Partnership for Integrated Logistics Operations and Tactics
Pandemic Response Program

Developing Human Capital

International Military and Education Training (IMET) and Expanded IMET

Professionalizing militaries and reinforcing the democratic value of elected civilian authority are among the benefits of the Department of State-led IMET and E-IMET programs. These comprise the most widely used military assistance programs in U.S. AFRICOM’s area of responsibility. In 2009, approximately 900 military and civilian students from 44 African countries received education and training in the United States or their own countries valued at $19.8 million. Many officers and enlisted IMET graduates go on to fill key positions in their militaries and governments, and the relationships built in the academic environment directly contribute to stronger bi-lateral military relationships between the United States and partner countries. IMET funded regional seminars with a Defense Institute for International Legal Studies Military Education Teams (MET) for Chad, Cameroon, DRC, Mauritius and Sierra Leone, and also supported a Center for Civil Military Relations MET for Cameroon, Comoros, DRC, Mauritius, and Guinea Bissau. Sustained support for robust IMET and E-IMET programs is an investment in our future, and directly supports long-term U.S. interests and relationships in Africa. It is one our most desired and productive programs.

For more, please see the IMET Fact Sheet

Partner Military HIV/AIDS Program (PMHAP)

U.S. Africa Command's military HIV/AIDS program is aimed at mitigating the impacts of the disease on African military readiness. The program includes activities that help prevent the escalation of HIV/AIDS infection rates within African security forces, and provide care and treatment for the service members and families infected or affected by the disease. DOD activities that support African militaries' fight against HIV/AIDS now reach 40 African countries.

During fiscal 2010, U.S. Africa Command's programs reached more than 400,000 African troops and family members with prevention messages, and provided counseling and testing services for 210,000 service members and their families. In addition, 122 (number from FY09) senior military leaders have been trained on HIV/AIDS policies, and 1,100 peer educators and 3,000 health care workers have received HIV/AIDs training. Over 37,000 individuals are on antiretroviral treatment as a result of these collaborative efforts. The fight against HIV/AIDs in Africa is having an impact. A leader of a southern African country remarked that, three years ago, he was conducting burials everyday for an HIV related death; however, by 2010, he was conducting one burial every eight to ten days.

For more, please see our PMHAP Fact Sheet

Current as of August 2011