Craddock Discusses Africa, European Command Changes - AFPS, 2 March 2007.

Establishing U.S. Africa Command will mean big changes to U.S. European Command, the top U.S. military commander in Europe said at a news roundtable here today.

Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, commander of U.S. European Command and NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, said initial operating capability for U.S. Africa Command is tentatively set for Oct. 1, with full operational capability set for Oct. 1, 2008.

All the African nations currently under European Command will transfer to the new command. All the nations of the Horn of Africa will transfer from U.S. Central Command, and Madagascar and the Seychelles will transfer from U.S. Pacific Command.

The new command will be based in Stuttgart, Germany, for the time being. Officials ultimately hope the command will transfer its headquarters to Africa, Craddock said.

The teams working to set up AFRICOM are working in Washington and Stuttgart on the new command’s manning, functions and missions. Craddock has taken the opportunity of the change to look at and refocus the mission of U.S. European Command...