Enduring Partner Capacity: African Civil Affairs
Abstract
Given the current operational environment and the U.S. Government-stated objectives to build partner-nation military capabilities, this thesis seeks to determine the potential value of supporting the development of civil affairs or civil-military cooperation forces in African militaries. These militaries would conduct military support to disaster relief and displaced civilian operations within AFRICOM's area of responsibility. Specifically, this thesis examines whether civil affairs activities executed by African militaries will mitigate the destabilizing effects of natural disasters and reduce the necessity of U.S. or allied forces to respond to these events. The current and near-term fiscal constraints on U.S. and allied nations reduce their ability to respond to the numerous natural disasters that occur globally and, specifically, in Africa. The U.S. military will not only see a reduction in manpower very soon, but it will also see reductions in the military platforms needed to execute operations. With a limited number of personnel and platforms, the United States and its allies must prioritize their operations and focus on larger national security threats. For long-term stability in Africa, African nations and their militaries must demonstrate the capacity to execute disaster relief and dislocated civilian operations. If Africans themselves can execute these types of operations successfully, it will mitigate the effects of these emergency situations and demonstrate to the African population that their own militaries are viable and stabilizing forces.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 17, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA562437
Entities
People
- Michael J. Zinno
Organizations
- National Defense University