Leadership, even in the State Department
Tom,
I would only later read about you and Rawson. I wondered, should I contact Tom, see what the F is going on there ? My DATT, a Navy 05 told me Rawson was not one to leave things idle and watch, rather get the troops in the mud. Hence all the press in DC.
Likewise, I said to the Commander, if the Colonel is still there, the troops are already in the mud !
I think we cooked this thread !
Regards, Stan
Is the US relationship with Rwanda stable and viable enough then for some form of proposed AFRICOM detachment there? I have heard a lot of promising things about their performance in Dar Fur....
Understood about the distance with South Africa, but one wonders about a post-Mugabe Zimbabwe... which I suppose the South Africans may want to handle much as they did Mozambique in the 90's....
Is the US relationship with Rwanda stable and viable enough ?
Eddie,
Back when I was handling the SAO training for Rwanda, we were gold. We were the candy men, bringing in our resources and (ahem) advice.
Rwanda was peaceful on the outside and we had no clue what was brewing inside.
I would think we still have a place there, but I am by no means an expert. I simply try to get along with people, even if I can't stand them. I have no idea how I do that.
These folks were professionals and expected the same from us. Perhaps why we were always welcome. Even the Zamish Chief remembered to bring beef jerky to the Rwandan Military Commander. Relatively small and a cheap jesture, but it worked. I think that would hold true today, but I have no desire to return and see if my assumptions are correct, even with beef jerky !
All of this BS aside, you're on the right track. Relatively close, air and sea ports and hopefully a friendly reception. Travel from there is a tad harder, but you would now be central and have a few exit strategies in hand.
Going to bed, too late to type !
Regards, Stan
Rwandan-US Relations
Originally Posted by Eddie Beaver
Eddie,
I can only relate what had happened there while I was on the ground and what happened in the immediate aftermath. I would also recommend you look at Bob Gribbin's book on Rwanda--he was my 2nd Ambassador and worked with my replacement, then MAJ Rick Orth, a superb officer and now I happy to say a full Colonel who has 3 DATT tours under his belt. Rick has published some papers on Rwanda that you can find via Google.
I do know that we have been planning the Darfur deployment with the Rwandans; I say that because there was an MPRI advertisement four an MDMP instructor to go to Kigali. Frankly I that is much like shipping coal to West Virginia: the Rwandans can plan and execute quite well, thank you very much. At times I despair over our inescapable arrogance when it comes to that sort of thing, as if we are the experts on planning...
What they would really need would be coaching on how to integrate operations with us and international organizations.
best
Tom
Caught this snippet over at Lightfighter.net:
If not aboard ship ("standby for heavy rolls"), where might an AFRICOM set down stakes. CONUS? Egypt or Djibouti?Pentagon’s African Command: Will It Float?
By Sandra I. Erwin and Grace V. Jean
While Pentagon officials fine-tune plans to create a new military command to oversee Africa, Navy leaders are floating a proposal to base that command’s headquarters on a ship at sea.
Supporters contend that a Navy ship offers extra security and flexibility to move around as crises erupt. The high-tech vessel envisioned for this role also would be uniquely equipped to handle all forms of top-secret communications and command-and-control functions, says Rear Adm. Barry J. McCullough III, director of Navy surface warfare.
For many years, the Navy has wavered on the idea of building a state-of-the-art “joint command-and-control ship,” and the project in recent years lost momentum as the Navy struggled to fund other ships. But the African Command would be a reason to resurrect a joint command-and-control ship, McCullough says. “Everyone knows we are going to stand up AFRICOM … But where are we going to headquarter that command?” An “afloat command” is one option being mulled over, he says. “You have to have something to put the commanders and staff on with the right C4ISR to execute the mission.”
If I ever had to suck down a joint tour, I could see myself doing it at a new command such as this.
A mobile command like this wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe take an older aircraft carrier like my last ship due for decommissioning in 2008 (the Kitty Hawk) and utilize it like we did during OEF or how my new ship (the Abe Lincoln) was utilized for the tsunami relief campaign.
As I also posted over at Lightfighter, I know a Naval Architect in Gloucester, who has been advocating such a ship for a couple of decades, now. His design would be completely self-sufficient, to include recreation and school facilities for dependents.
For those interested, his name is Philip C. Bolger, and his design is largely sail powered, as mobility would be secondary to station-keeping. Of course, a nuke plant would keep it at sea indefinitely.
A very interesting idea; also was broached by Popular Science a couple of years ago.
My understanding is that AFRICOM HQ will remain in Stuttgart. I think a command ship is a bad idea for a number of reasons. First, nobody really wants to "live" full time on a ship for a 2 or 3 year staff tour. Dependents at sea, on a massive nuke powered cruise ship sounds keen, but it would not financially feasible. Nor would I want my family living on a big floating target while I was working off the coast of Somalia, Nigeria, etc. There are also bandwidth contraints, logistics and other issues that prevent this from being a viable option. JTF HOA was moved ashore from Navy command ships for good reasons.
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