AFRICOM: Combatant Command for the 21st Century

Abstract

In February 2007, President Bush announced the formation of United States Africa Command or AFRICOM. When it reaches full operational capability in October 2008, it will join the other five combatant commands: European Command, Southern Command, Northern Command, Central Command, and Pacific Command, as the Department of Defense's unified command structure responsible for specific geographical regions of the world. From the beginning it has been made clear that AFRICOM will be organized differently and have a different mission priority than the current geographic combatant commands. Most apparent is the high ratio of assigned interagency personnel as compared to the other commands. This thesis examines U.S. interests and operating environment in Africa to determine AFRICOM mission focus. It also proposes organization structure to facilitate interagency integration and maximize mission effectiveness.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA487229

Entities

People

  • Richard A. Juergens Jr.

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combatant Commanders
  • Department Of State
  • Employment
  • Failed States
  • Geography
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Terrorists
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States
  • United States Africa Command
  • United States European Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.