Africom Stands Up 2006-2017

[M-A Lagrange]

Stan,

In addition you can put the operations in Congo Brazzaville in 1997 and the operation in Liberia in 2003 or Artemis in 2004. Or the early stage of Licorne in Ivory Coast.

300 well trained troops as legionaires/special ops or shock paratroopers are much more than enough to resist and secure almost anything in Sub saharian Africa and give time to evacuate or bring additional troops.

Against South African soldiers may be not, but we are talking, I believe of troops from mighty powers as Cameroune, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire... Not even talking about Tchad or Republique Centre Africaine...

The balance does not only depend on the numerous ratio but also in fire power and deterence capacity. A well trained platton with anti tank armament and snipe capacity + a limited air support can do a lot against a bunch of crazy guys with AK a few RPG7.

300 troops is more than enough for immediat response to any threat against Wade and establish a "tete de pont" for bigger evacuation almost any where on the continent.

[Stan]

Stan,

300 well trained troops as legionaries/special ops or shock paratroopers are much more than enough to resist and secure almost anything in Sub Saharan Africa and give time to evacuate or bring additional troops.

300 troops is more than enough for immediate response to any threat against Wade and establish a "tete de pont" for bigger evacuation almost any where on the continent.

M-A,
It wasn't long ago Carl asked me what I would do with the DRC and I responded with the same... Sweep in with two companies and destroy everything

Regards, Stan

[davidbfpo]

This item popped up on the latest SW Journal article 'Thoughts from Khobar: Where Do We Go from Here?' as:

The Army is standing up regionally aligned brigades (RAB) for advisory and theater-cooperation missions in Africa beginning in 2013

Link:http://defense.aol.com/2011/10/11/ne...o-op-missions/

The first of up to seven new Army units, created to train and help foreign militaries will be operational by the next fiscal year. The first of these "Regionally Aligned Brigades" will be assigned to Africa Command, but will be stationed in the continental United States....

The brigade will be responsible for working with foreign militaries on stability, security and training operations and should be ready to go by by fiscal 2013....These military cooperation units will be roughly the size as a brigade combat team....

I appreciate this idea / plan was floated openly in a briefing at the US Army Association and was not picked up on SWC. I hesitate to say the article refers to a UK colonel giving part of the briefing.

How AFRICOM would "sell" this brigade's use in Africa eludes me.

[KingJaja]

I'll love to see how that concept could work in Nigeria (Northern Nigeria).

[Fuchs]

The first of up to seven new Army units, created to train and help foreign militaries will be operational by the next fiscal year. The first of these "Regionally Aligned Brigades" will be assigned to Africa Command, but will be stationed in the continental United States....

...one of the reasons why U.S. military spending is NOT defense spending.

[gute]

Read this article this morning and the last part had me scratching my head:

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.o...st.aspx?ID=960

[davidbfpo]

Read this article this morning and the last part had me scratching my head:http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.o...st.aspx?ID=960

Gute,

You are being polite! I assume you refer to this phrase:

The 1st Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, based in South Korea, will support U.S. Africa Command.

Even I know as a civilian this brigade is "heavy", let alone the distances involved in any deployment to Africa and given the potential for untoward events in NE Asia, could the US ever release even a BCT?

Logic would suggest the independent airborne brigade, long stationed in Italy, would be the RAB of choice.