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WASHINGTON, D.C., 

Mar 13, 2008 — The commander of United States Africa Command outlined his plans for AFRICOM in testimony before the U.S. Congress on March 13, 2008, describing his goal of developing "persistent, sustained engagement" with African militaries and regional organizations.

William "Kip" Ward testified before the House Armed Services Committee alongside the commanders of U.S. Southern Command and U.S. European Command. By long-standing tradition, the U.S. Congress requires regional military commanders to appear in public hearings to deliver a "posture statement" on their region of the world. The March 13 hearing marked the first-ever posture statement for U.S. Africa Command, which is scheduled to assume responsibilities as a unified command in October.

As part of his testimony, Ward submitted a 22-page written posture statement on AFRICOM, which was released by the committee in conjunction with the hearing.

"AFRICOM will help develop capable militaries among our partner nations, and promote civilian control of the military through continued professionalization of African military forces," Ward said in his posture statement.

"Through persistent, sustained engagement focusing on building partner security capacity, supporting humanitarian assistance efforts, and providing crisis response," Ward wrote, "AFRICOM will promote a stable and secure African environment in support of U.S. foreign and national security policy."

Ward said the creation of Africa Command marks the U.S. military's recognition that African nations and regional organizations have matured politically and economically.
"Six major African wars have ended in the past six years, and more than 60 presidential-level democratic elections have taken place in the past four years," Ward said.

Ward also discussed his concept of Active Security.

"Active Security is defined as a persistent and sustained level of effort oriented on security assistance programs that prevent conflict and foster continued dialogue and development," Ward said. "The goal of Active Security is to enable the work of Africans to marginalize the enemies of peace and prevent conflict, thereby enabling the growth of strong and just governments and legitimate solutions to support the development of civil societies."

Africa Command is aimed at long-term solutions, not quick fixes, Ward said

"Building regional stability and security will take many years of sustained and dedicated effort," Ward said. "There is no conspicuous finish line. Therefore, enduring Congressional support is indispensible."

Below is a link to the U.S. Africa Command posture statement.