U.S. Africa Command is the Department of Defense's newest regional command. The command will be responsible for U.S. military relations and activities with 53 African nations when it becomes an independent unified command in October 2008.
AFRICOM will assume responsibility for programs and activities on the continent currently managed by three separate commands: U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Pacific Command, each with its own commander and priorities for operational activities within its assigned area of responsibility.
The development of a single command, AFRICOM, is a Defense Department internal reorganization to help activities run more smoothly across the continent.
The goal is to simplify coordination of U.S. Department of Defense activities in Africa, making them more efficient and effective and facilitating cooperation with partners and regional organizations.
President Bush directed the standup of AFRICOM in February 2007 and gave guidance on the design and structure of the new command. Its first commander, U.S. Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, was confirmed by the Senate in September, and the command reached initial operating capability on October 1, 2007.
"Following my confirmation by the U.S. Senate, AFRICOM became what I call a 'command under construction,'" Gen. Ward said. He is building the command based on three enduring themes.
BUILD THE TEAM: AFRICOM has the opportunity, vision and determination to redefine how the U.S. military cooperates with and complements the efforts of its U.S., international and non-governmental partners in Africa.
"U.S. AFRICOM will be innovative," Gen. Ward said. "It will include people from other U.S. government organizations, such as the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development and others. The expertise gained from having staff from other U.S. agencies that have decades of working in Africa will allow AFRICOM to work smarter. The sum of our efforts as a whole will be greater than the sum of our individual parts."
Bring ADDED VALUE to the security cooperation activities the command undertakes at the request of its African friends and, in so doing, DO NO HARM to collective and substantial ongoing efforts on the continent. AFRICOM will add value by helping to harmonize U.S. efforts to maximize the effectiveness of our nation's resources that are being dedicated to stability in Africa.
"AFRICOM's success and credibility on the continent has been seen in the programs that currently go on, and it will be seen in the future in terms of how it directly contributes to the stability, security, health, and welfare of the nations, the regional institutions, and the peoples of Africa," Gen. Ward said.
BUILD PARTNERSHIPS which will enhance the ability of Africans to provide for their own security.
"Our intent is to build mutual trust, respect and confidence through a sustained relationship," Gen. Ward said. "I want African leaders to see AFRICOM as a reliable and consistent partner in helping them achieve greater capacity to address the security challenges they face, as well as be able to export that increased capacity across the continent where it is needed."
Some of the specific activities AFRICOM will support include:
– Peacekeeper training. Under the Department of State-led Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program, the U.S. military has helped train peacekeepers in 20 countries. Training includes convoy escort, checkpoint and disarmament operations, weapons handling, management of refugees, negotiations and small-unit command skills.
Command and staff training, as well as exercises for battalion, brigade and multinational force headquarters personnel, also are included. HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention training are stressed.
Over the past decade, more than 40,000 troops in Africa have been trained under ACOTA and its predecessor programs. The results have been more capable military forces that have been able to export security elsewhere on the continent.
– Maritime and Air Domain Awareness. The U.S. has developed partnership programs to help African nations on the littoral to improve their maritime security capabilities. Illegal fishing, piracy and smuggling of people and resources are dangerous threats to the sovereignty and economic well-being of many African nations. The command intends to conduct similar efforts in the air domain.
– Professional Military Training and Education. The International Military Education and Training (IMET) program sends African military personnel to different U.S. military service schools for professional military education or training. The amount spent on this program is forecast to increase by about 27 percent over the next three years. Today's IMET graduates are tomorrow's ministers, chiefs of defense and presidents.
– Counter-terrorism. Large areas of uncontrolled territory in the Sahel and West Africa, and difficulty guarding the borders in these isolated regions, make it easier for the development and growth of local and transnational terrorist networks. Many transnational extremists have originated from North Africa, and it is believed that transnational networks return to this region for further recruitment, logistics and safe-haven.
U.S. military and State Department-sponsored counter-terrorism training programs assist nine nations in developing effective defenses against these threats. The programs are aimed at building regional security capabilities, prompting interoperability and strengthening inter-regional cooperation in the region.
– Medical and health care initiatives. The U.S. is working with African militaries and public organizations on medical and health care initiatives. These include programs designed to help African militaries deal with HIV/AIDS, malaria prevention programs, mine removal programs, and initiatives to build and equip medical facilities, clinics, orphanages and schools. For example, last year, 85 percent of the anti-HIV/AIDS programs conducted by the military of Senegal were funded by the U.S.
A goal of Africa Command is to ensure these programs are well-coordinated on a regional level. By working with U.S. Embassy and USAID teams, the AFRICOM staff will have a better understanding of programs that have high priority within the U.S. government, African nations and the international community.
"Now is the right time for U.S. AFRICOM. The African continent's economic, social, political and military importance in global affairs has grown tremendously," Gen. Ward said. "From my observations, the leaders of Africa and its island nations are increasingly demonstrating the will to provide a safe and secure environment for their citizens. My goal as commander of U.S. AFRICOM is to build an enduring organization with regular and sustained engagement that benefits both the citizens of the United States and the citizens of the nations in Africa.
"We have the opportunity, vision, and determination to redefine how the U.S. military cooperates with and complements the efforts of its U.S., international, and non-governmental partners in Africa."
For more information about U.S. Africa Command, please visit the command's Web site at www.africom.mil.