Operation AFRICOM

Washington wants greater strategic coherence for its military engagement with Africa. However, finding a headquarters for the Pentagon's new Africa combatant command -- AFRICOM -- will prove challenging.

Why AFRICOM?

The administration is touting the organisation as a different kind of combatant command. Washington claims the creation of AFRICOM does not signal a leading role for the US military in African security matters, nor will it establish an archipelago of troop bases. It says AFRICOM's missions will instead be diplomatic, economic and humanitarian, aimed at prevention of conflict, rather than military intervention.

AFRICOM plan - enlarge

Three regional combatant commands currently share responsibility for US security issues in Africa. The Europe Command is responsible for North Africa, West Africa and central and southern Africa. The Central Command covers the Horn of Africa --including Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, and Sudan -- as well as Egypt. The Pacific Command is responsible for Madagascar, the Seychelles, and the Indian Ocean area off the African coast. AFRICOM will coordinate all US military operations in the continent, with the exception of Egypt, which will remain under Central Command.

However, it is more likely that Washington sees a military presence stretching from Morocco to Mozambique as vital to US energy security and to the 'war on terror'. Beijing's ambitions for Africa may be another reason -- increased Chinese engagement in Africa threatens to reduce the political leverage of the US and its Western allies. Beijing's successful economic engagement could open a huge new market for trade and investment, which the Chinese would be in a position to dominate. The prospect of an economically emerging Africa in close alliance with China will surely discomfit Washington.

Basing challenge

The US wants AFRICOM to be fully operational by September 2008. The command will temporarily be housed in Stuttgart, Germany -- home of European command -- until a permanent base is established on the African continent. While some nations will be keen to host the headquarters for economic reasons, others are wary of getting involved, because:

• there is a fear that US military installations on African territory would mortgage away sovereignty;
• there may be an increased threat of terrorist attacks if nations are perceived to be furthering US 'imperial ambitions'; and
• some African governments will likely see AFRICOM as an attempt to gain greater access to and control of regional resources.

It is therefore likely that the precise delineation of AFRICOM’s area of authority and its permanent headquarters location will remain unclear in the short-term. However, Washington's more pressing challenge is to overcome the apparent disconnect between its current military activities in Africa and many of its diplomatic objectives -- as illustrated during the recent crisis in Somalia.