Medeshi Oct 3, 2008‘Into Africa’ with the Military’s “Africom”
by Greg Palkot
A fully armed “battle-rattle”-ed Marines Humvee patrol winding through the African desert and peering into bunkers looking for militants…and weapons.
Army instructors firing off blanks from the brush around a foot squad of African soldiers training them in the art of fending off an ambush.
And Navy Seabees, sweating in the blistering African sun, digging and installing a water distribution system for impoverished villagers.
done
Just three views of the new US military command Africom which we’ve had a chance to take in during the past week, traveling around this diverse continent. October 1st was the “roll-out” day for the command but we wanted to get a jump on things for Fox so we headed down to Africa a bit early.
Previously, Africa had been covered by parts of three different US military commands, and while there have been a variety of programs and operations conducted in Africa by the Pentagon, the feeling was that the place got short-changed.
As the commander of Africom, 4-star Army General (and veteran of numerous global hot spots including 1990’s Somalia) William “Kip” Ward told me, “The continent of Africa is important to global security, our security, the stability of the world.”
In addition, the thinking has been that more than just the military guys needed to be involved in the project. Folks from the State Department and other government agencies needed to pitch in as well.
Former African ambassador and Ward’s civilian number two Mary Yates explained, “It gives us the opportunity to bring the assets of the US military in a supporting role of those needs.”
Presto…Africom. A “combatant” command with a difference. Yes, if there’s a military operation that needs to be conducted in Africa they can run it. But time and time again in my discussions officials there stressed the command was less about war fighting and more about war prevention.
Our first stop was the central African country of Uganda, better known to most people as the home base for the 1970s cruel and despotic leader Idi Amin. Now it’s a colorful country with a growing economy and a friendly attitude towards the US. The US military runs a number of training program for local troops , including some at base not far from the infamous Entebbe airport.
As the US Army Lieutenant in charge of the trainers there explained to me the troops were “dynamite” students and they really picked up on the real-life lessons. In addition to that ambush drill I mentioned earlier they were taught how to approach and take out a fortified bunker as well breaching a barbed wire defense.
The idea is help the locals create a more stable and secure environment with the aim of either keeping bad guys out. Or having African troops (and not the US) deal with the bad guys themselves. “In a hundred years,” one offical noted to me, “If Africom hasn’t fought a single battle in Africa we will have done our job.”
Then it was on to the eastern African country of Djibouti, home to the only US military base in Africa, Camp Lemonier, Joint Combined Task Force Horn of Africa. The area has also (and seems still to be ) home to a number of terrorists. Usama bin Laden was in nearby Sudan in the 90’s. Across the Gulf of Aden the USS Cole was hit in 2000 and there have been terror incidents there ever since. And Somalia, just 12 miles away, remains the hideout its believed for Al Qaeda and Islamists.
If there is ANY “direct action” against any foes of the US in Africa it comes from here. Not so much that Marine patrol I noted earlier which is more security than “kill and capture.” But activities we did not have the chance to take in as its not in the direct Africom remit : Special Force, CIA and other civilian agencies tracking and targeting extremists.
More of the work in Djibouti (and of Africom) is of the “indirect” kind, like once again training up militaries like Ethiopian troops who now happen to be in Somalia quelling Islamists. And even more, civil affairs projects, like that Seabee-built water system. We also dropped in on a school that had been fixed up in their off hours by troops from Djibouti . This is full scale “hearts and minds” stuff. As one Africom official explained to me, “we can call in that chit later.” Meaning information, help, tips.
As we fought to get on the air amid all the other news on Wednesday October 1st with reports about the launch of the command there was other media reporting based on the Washington DC Africom presentation. I’m not sure all the Africom folks were pleased with the coverage. First of all there was more interest in the latest piracy incident off the coast of Somalia involving a Ukrainian arms ship.
But also complaints which had been piling up over the last year or so about the command were dredged out again : That the mission wasn’t focused; that it was aimed less at satisfying Africa and more the US strategic, political and economic needs on the continent; that it stepped on the turf of aid workers in Africa.
Concerns echoed by Africans. For example there are worries that the US will be opening up a new front in the War on Terror across the continent. As Ugandan newspaper editor Daniel Kalinaki explained to us, “Having an American base can make you a target for terror groups.”
All those kinds of concerns forced Africom to give up on the idea for now of basing its headquarters in Africa proper (it couldn’t find an appropriate country willing to host it) and the so the HQ is in Stuttgart.
But everybody at Africom I talked to is convinced that over time they can win Africans over and that many countries and leaders in Africa are already supportive of the mission.
As for Congress (which cut the initial budget for the command) and the rest of Washington, the command, I think, probably SHOULD play up what’s in it for the US. There’s a lot :
The terror threat from Africa is very real. A new Al Qaeda chapter has opened up in northern Africa just ready to export carnage to American targets.
Maintaining access to natural resources on the continent (by 2015 25% of our oil will come from here).
As well as keeping up with the global rival “Jones”’s China and Russia moving in here big time.
Plus keeping bad stuff like disease drugs and illegal immigration from being transferred from there to our shores.
And, oh yes, helping the African people. Who are in need of and worthy of that help. We were so taken by the people of Uganda. Friendly, mellow, hard-working, handsome. Ditto the very cute and studious kids of Djibouti…the next generation of Africa…the ones we ll have to be dealing with for decades to come.
As Specialist Samuel Fitch of a US Army civil affairs which helped out in that school fix-up project said, “It feels good. That’s what we’re doing it for, the kids. They’re the future.”
by Greg Palkot
A fully armed “battle-rattle”-ed Marines Humvee patrol winding through the African desert and peering into bunkers looking for militants…and weapons.
Army instructors firing off blanks from the brush around a foot squad of African soldiers training them in the art of fending off an ambush.
And Navy Seabees, sweating in the blistering African sun, digging and installing a water distribution system for impoverished villagers.
done
Just three views of the new US military command Africom which we’ve had a chance to take in during the past week, traveling around this diverse continent. October 1st was the “roll-out” day for the command but we wanted to get a jump on things for Fox so we headed down to Africa a bit early.
Previously, Africa had been covered by parts of three different US military commands, and while there have been a variety of programs and operations conducted in Africa by the Pentagon, the feeling was that the place got short-changed.
As the commander of Africom, 4-star Army General (and veteran of numerous global hot spots including 1990’s Somalia) William “Kip” Ward told me, “The continent of Africa is important to global security, our security, the stability of the world.”
In addition, the thinking has been that more than just the military guys needed to be involved in the project. Folks from the State Department and other government agencies needed to pitch in as well.
Former African ambassador and Ward’s civilian number two Mary Yates explained, “It gives us the opportunity to bring the assets of the US military in a supporting role of those needs.”
Presto…Africom. A “combatant” command with a difference. Yes, if there’s a military operation that needs to be conducted in Africa they can run it. But time and time again in my discussions officials there stressed the command was less about war fighting and more about war prevention.
Our first stop was the central African country of Uganda, better known to most people as the home base for the 1970s cruel and despotic leader Idi Amin. Now it’s a colorful country with a growing economy and a friendly attitude towards the US. The US military runs a number of training program for local troops , including some at base not far from the infamous Entebbe airport.
As the US Army Lieutenant in charge of the trainers there explained to me the troops were “dynamite” students and they really picked up on the real-life lessons. In addition to that ambush drill I mentioned earlier they were taught how to approach and take out a fortified bunker as well breaching a barbed wire defense.
The idea is help the locals create a more stable and secure environment with the aim of either keeping bad guys out. Or having African troops (and not the US) deal with the bad guys themselves. “In a hundred years,” one offical noted to me, “If Africom hasn’t fought a single battle in Africa we will have done our job.”
Then it was on to the eastern African country of Djibouti, home to the only US military base in Africa, Camp Lemonier, Joint Combined Task Force Horn of Africa. The area has also (and seems still to be ) home to a number of terrorists. Usama bin Laden was in nearby Sudan in the 90’s. Across the Gulf of Aden the USS Cole was hit in 2000 and there have been terror incidents there ever since. And Somalia, just 12 miles away, remains the hideout its believed for Al Qaeda and Islamists.
If there is ANY “direct action” against any foes of the US in Africa it comes from here. Not so much that Marine patrol I noted earlier which is more security than “kill and capture.” But activities we did not have the chance to take in as its not in the direct Africom remit : Special Force, CIA and other civilian agencies tracking and targeting extremists.
More of the work in Djibouti (and of Africom) is of the “indirect” kind, like once again training up militaries like Ethiopian troops who now happen to be in Somalia quelling Islamists. And even more, civil affairs projects, like that Seabee-built water system. We also dropped in on a school that had been fixed up in their off hours by troops from Djibouti . This is full scale “hearts and minds” stuff. As one Africom official explained to me, “we can call in that chit later.” Meaning information, help, tips.
As we fought to get on the air amid all the other news on Wednesday October 1st with reports about the launch of the command there was other media reporting based on the Washington DC Africom presentation. I’m not sure all the Africom folks were pleased with the coverage. First of all there was more interest in the latest piracy incident off the coast of Somalia involving a Ukrainian arms ship.
But also complaints which had been piling up over the last year or so about the command were dredged out again : That the mission wasn’t focused; that it was aimed less at satisfying Africa and more the US strategic, political and economic needs on the continent; that it stepped on the turf of aid workers in Africa.
Concerns echoed by Africans. For example there are worries that the US will be opening up a new front in the War on Terror across the continent. As Ugandan newspaper editor Daniel Kalinaki explained to us, “Having an American base can make you a target for terror groups.”
All those kinds of concerns forced Africom to give up on the idea for now of basing its headquarters in Africa proper (it couldn’t find an appropriate country willing to host it) and the so the HQ is in Stuttgart.
But everybody at Africom I talked to is convinced that over time they can win Africans over and that many countries and leaders in Africa are already supportive of the mission.
As for Congress (which cut the initial budget for the command) and the rest of Washington, the command, I think, probably SHOULD play up what’s in it for the US. There’s a lot :
The terror threat from Africa is very real. A new Al Qaeda chapter has opened up in northern Africa just ready to export carnage to American targets.
Maintaining access to natural resources on the continent (by 2015 25% of our oil will come from here).
As well as keeping up with the global rival “Jones”’s China and Russia moving in here big time.
Plus keeping bad stuff like disease drugs and illegal immigration from being transferred from there to our shores.
And, oh yes, helping the African people. Who are in need of and worthy of that help. We were so taken by the people of Uganda. Friendly, mellow, hard-working, handsome. Ditto the very cute and studious kids of Djibouti…the next generation of Africa…the ones we ll have to be dealing with for decades to come.
As Specialist Samuel Fitch of a US Army civil affairs which helped out in that school fix-up project said, “It feels good. That’s what we’re doing it for, the kids. They’re the future.”
