Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa
Abstract
On February 6, 2007, the Bush Administration announced its intention to create a new unified combatant command, U.S. Africa Command or AFRICOM, to promote U.S. national security objectives in Africa and its surrounding waters. U.S. military involvement on the continent has been divided among three commands: U.S. European Command (EUCOM), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM). As envisioned by the Administration, the new command's area of responsibility (AOR) will include all African countries except Egypt. AFRICOM was officially launched as a sub-unified command under EUCOM on October 1, 2007, and is expected to become fully operational as a stand-alone command by September 30, 2008. In recent years, analysts and U.S. policymakers have noted Africa's growing strategic importance to U.S. interests. Among those interests are Africa's role in the Global War on Terror and potential threats posed by uncontrolled spaces; the growing importance of Africa's natural resources, particularly energy resources; and ongoing concern for Africa's many humanitarian crises, armed conflicts, and more general challenges, such as the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS. As currently envisioned by the Department of Defense (DoD), AFRICOM's mission will be to promote U.S. strategic objectives by working with African states and regional organizations to help strengthen stability and security in the region through improved security capability and military professionalization. This report provides a broad overview of U.S. strategic interests in Africa and the role of U.S. military efforts on the continent as they pertain to the creation of AFRICOM. Although the command is still evolving, a discussion of AFRICOM's mission, its coordination with other government agencies, and its basing and manpower requirements is included. Appendixes provide a history of U.S. military involvement in Africa and a chronology of the use of U.S. Armed Forces in Africa from 1950-2006.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 07, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA475141
Entities
People
- Lauren Ploch.
Organizations
- Library of Congress