Africom Stands Up 2006-2017

[SWJED]

6 February NY Times - Bush Creates New Military Command for Africa by David Stout.

The Pentagon will establish a new military command to oversee its operations in Africa, President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today.

Creation of the United States Africa Command, which had been expected, will “strengthen our security cooperation with Africa and create new opportunities to bolster the capabilities of our partners in Africa,” Mr. Bush said.

The president said he had directed Mr. Gates to have the command established by the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30, 2008. The location of the new command will be determined after discussions with Congress and officials of countries on the continent, Mr. Bush said...

[Mark O'Neill]

Two obvious options spring to mind, if the new Command were to be located outside CONUS (and I do not think that is a 'given').

1. If force protection etc were to drive considerations (especially if the posting was to be with dependants), RSA. Disadvantage is the relative removal from much of the 'action'. Advantage is the most developed economy and being in sub-saharan Africa' s 'superpower'.

2. Co-location with the OAU - in Addis.

Personally, I would be betting that the permanent Command base is in CONUS.

Regards,

Mark

[sgmgrumpy]

I would convert the current SETAF HQ which is already in place in Vicenza, Italy. We already have a good SOFA with the Italian Government. The biggest problem with that option is limited space available for additional folks. In that area you do not build outward, you build on top of current structures.





In Search of a Unified Command for Africa by Eugene Yim Lieutenant Colonel, USAF

http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA425916

The missions, responsibilities, and force structure of a combatant command must adapt to changing
strategic environment. As Africa undergoes intense transition, promise and opportunity exist
side by side with the perils of civil war, transnational threats, infectious disease, and
desperate poverty, which can significantly affect the U.S. national interests in the region.
However, the current UCP arrangement—division of responsibility for Africa among three commands
(USEUCOM, USCENTCOM, and USPACOM) and lacking a dedicated headquarters for Africa—does not
provide the ideal framework to effectively support the U.S. strategy and meet the current and
future challenges in Africa. The U.S. should give a higher priority to Africa by transferring
USCENTCOM and USPACOM’s African Areas of Responsibility to USEUCOM and establishing a sub-unified
command for Africa under USEUCOM. Such a dedicated sub-unified command will allow more effective
command structure to proactively shape the security environment in Africa and more effectively
handle any threats to U.S. national interests in the region.

[SWJED]

No Extra Troops to be Based in Africa, says Pentagon - Reuters.

No extra U.S. combat troops will be stationed in Africa as a result of plans to create a U.S. military command for the continent, U.S. defense officials said on Wednesday.

The new headquarters will have a strong focus on helping African nations train their security forces and will include more U.S. government civilians than other regional command centers, the officials told reporters at the Pentagon.

President George W. Bush announced on Tuesday he had given approval for the new command, AFRICOM, which will be based initially in Stuttgart, Germany, but later move to an African location yet to be determined.

The creation of the new headquarters reflects increasing U.S. strategic interest in Africa. Washington is concerned that African nations with weak governments offer a haven for Islamist militants and is attracted by the continent's natural resources...

[Mark O'Neill]

No Extra Troops to be Based in Africa, says Pentagon - Reuters.

Ok, based on that, delete my last regarding CONUS, my money is now on Addis.

[120mm]

Hmmm... do you suppose they'd be interested in an IMA Transporation O-5 Reservist????

[hendrikwitbooi]

. . . my money is now on Addis.

There certainly are advantages to being at the administrative heart of the African Union (AU). Of course, the US has been active in the Horn of Africa for decades, but I wonder if this doesn't hurt us in some ways. Black Hawk Down issues aside, the legacy of having supported one side then the other in the Ogaden conflict must surely be viewed with considerable cynicism in the area (then again, perhaps Somalian views no longer count). Also, might not the presence of AFRICOM in (nominally Christian) Ethiopia further the "us vs. them" sentiment on the Muslim street.

What about simply expanding our existing presence and accommodating AFRICOM in Djibouti? Recent US development aid has already gone a long way toward putting a benevolent face on the American presence there. It would be more politically neutral than locating in Ethiopia. And since we're already in Djibouti, it would be cheaper than creating a new command in landlocked Ethiopia. Thoughts?