U.S. Militarizing Africa (Again)

By Daniel Volman and Beth Tuckey, Foreign Policy in Focus. Posted March 2, 2008.

In February 2007, President Bush announced that the United States would create a new military command for Africa, to be known as the Africa Command or AFRICOM, to protect U.S. national security interests on the African continent. Previously, control over U.S. military operations in Africa was divided between three different commands: European Command, which oversaw North Africa and most of sub-Saharan Africa; Central Command, which had responsibility for Egypt and the Horn of Africa; and Pacific Command, which administered the Indian Ocean and Madagascar.

The new command set up shop in Stuttgart, Germany in October 2007, as a sub-command of the European Command, and is scheduled to become a separate, fully independent command in October 2008. The Pentagon intends to establish a headquarters -- or set of regional headquarters -- on the African continent. But Liberia is the only country that has publicly offered to host AFRICOM, and the issue remains unresolved. The Pentagon claims that AFRICOM is all about integrating coordination and "building partner capacity." But the new structure is really about securing oil resources, countering terrorism, and rolling back Chinese influence. Given AFRICOM's emphasis on defense over diplomacy, resistance to the initiative is possible not only from civic movements but even the U.S. State Department.

Real Reasons for AFRICOM

Professional military officers have made it clear that the new Africa Command has three main purposes. First and foremost, the new command's main mission is to protect American access to Africa's oil and other resources, preferably by enhancing the ability of African allies to guard these resources themselves on behalf of the United States. But, to prepare for the day that Washington decides to try to use American troops in a desperate bid to keep them flowing, the United States is also acquiring access to local African military bases and dramatically expanding its naval presence off Africa's coastline, especially in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea region. Imports from Africa are expected to reach 25% by 2015, making Africa one of the largest future suppliers of U.S. oil -- larger even than the Persian Gulf.

The new command will also expand and intensify counter-terrorism operations in Africa and will make the continent a central battlefield in the Global War on Terror. Through AFRICOM, the Pentagon will intensify and extend U.S. counter-terrorism operations in Africa as well as its involvement in counter-insurgency warfare and other internal security operations in African countries. American troops are already engaged in combat operations in Somalia -- where air and naval strikes aimed at alleged al-Qaeda members instead killed dozens of Somali civilians in January and June 2007 -- and U.S. troops were engaged in combat-support operations in Mali in September 2007.

Finally, the new command is designed to counter China's efforts to increase its influence and its access to African oil and other raw materials. The creation of AFRICOM is one element of a broad effort to develop a "grand strategy" on the part of the United States to compete with, and eventually restrain China's activities. It is also intended to demonstrate to Beijing that Washington will match China's actions, thus serving as a warning to Chinese leaders that they should restrain themselves or face possible consequences to their relationship with America as well as to their interests in Africa.

Operations

AFRICOM will take over the implementation of a growing and truly frightening array of military, security cooperation, and security assistance programs conducted either by the State Department or by the Defense Department (DoD). Through these programs, the United States provided more than $240 million worth of military equipment and training to African countries in FY 2006 and more than $500 million worth in FY 2007. AFRICOM will also take over operational control of two task forces. The Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa -- based at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti -- is conducting raids into Somalia; the Joint Task Force Aztec Silence -- based in Sigonella, Italy -- is conducting intelligence, surveillance, and combat-support missions in North and West Africa. To support AFRICOM, the United States is also dramatically expanding its naval presence off Africa's coastlines, particularly in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea region, and has negotiated agreements with at least 10 African countries to ensure access to local military bases by U.S. troops in times of crisis.

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FPIF analyst Daniel Volman is the director of the African Security Research Project in Washington, DC, and a member of the board of directors of the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars. He is the author of numerous articles and research reports on U.S. military activities in Africa. FPIF Analyst Beth Tuckey is the associate director of Program Development and Policy at Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) in Washington, DC.