2007 Press Releases
Press Release
U.S. Africa command (AFRICOM): Questions and Answers
October 02, 2007
The full text of General William E. “Kip” Ward’s question-and-answer document from the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation process (Sept. 27, 07) as first commander of AFRICOM is posted online at www.africom.mil.
What is the mission of AFRICOM?
AFRICOM promotes U.S. National Security objectives by working with African states and regional organizations to help strengthen stability and security in the area of responsibility. AFRICOM leads the in-theater DoD response to support other U.S. government agencies in implementing U.S. government security policies and strategies. In concert with other U.S. government and international partners, AFRICOM conducts theater security cooperation activities to assist in building security capacity and improve accountable governance. As directed, U.S. Africa Command conducts military operations to deter aggression and respond to crises.
Why is the United States creating AFRICOM?
The purpose of AFRICOM is to more appropriately organize the Department of Defense to serve the continent of Africa due to its growing strategic importance. AFRICOM will provide a single point of response for DOD when it comes to African challenges.
What are some of the major challenges facing AFRICOM?
AFRICOM’s exercises, training, and humanitarian assistance efforts across the continent must occur in ways that demonstrate value-added through its existence.
AFRICOM will be seen in terms of how it directly contributes to the stability, security, health, and welfare of the regional institutions, nations, and people of Africa. It will be measured in terms of the strength, viability, and sustainment of the programs it will be expected to carry out on behalf of the U.S. government.
Any actions taken by AFRICOM should be premised on better facilitating the activities of the U.S. government’s interagency process. Additionally, AFRICOM's value-added will come by listening to the needs of African partners and helping to find solutions by working with the African Union and its African Regional Economic Communities (REC), as well as European allies and other partners and friends with a strong interest on the continent.
Will a large majority of AFRICOM’s staff be on short-term rotational assignments, following the model used for Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of AFRICA in Djibouti?
No. Permanently assigned active duty and civilian personnel are being and will be assigned to AFRICOM.
What is the role of civilians from other U.S. government agencies in AFRICOM’s daily operations?
AFRICOM’s guiding principle will be to ensure coordination of its activities with other U.S. Government departments and agencies, and, as appropriate, with foreign governmental, international, non-governmental, private and nonprofit organizations. To enable this coordination, AFRICOM intends to have an integrated staff of permanently assigned DoD (military and civilian) and non-DoD U.S. Government personnel, as well as liaison officers and staff from foreign military and civilian organizations and AFRICOM liaison personnel with duty at selected external organizations.
Will U.S. Ambassadors to African countries maintain Chief-of-Mission authority over all U.S. government activities in the countries to which they are posted, including military relations?
Yes. U.S. Ambassadors will maintain chief-of-mission authority over all U.S. government activities in their countries. AFRICOM will closely coordinate all activities with Embassy Chiefs of Mission. AFRICOM will have representatives in some Embassies – in the form of Office of Security Cooperation (OSC) chiefs who will report to AFRICOM – and these OSC activities will also be closely coordinated with Embassy Country Teams.
How will AFRICOM differ from other regional commands?
AFRICOM’s focus will be to build a stable security environment that will enable Africans to pursue broader goals, such as economic security. We believe that the security aspect – one part of the “three-pronged” approach – should be accomplished under U.S. Department of Defense leadership. AFRICOM will support the other two prongs, with the State Department conducting diplomacy, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) carrying out development work. AFRICOM will also have elements and personnel from a variety of government organizations that will enhance its ability to provide support in these areas.
Some have asserted AFRICOM is simply an American effort to protect U.S. access to gas and oil; to fight terrorists and Islamic radicals; and to counter China’s interest and activism. Is that correct?
No. AFRICOM will be primarily focused on conducting security cooperation to build partnership capacities in areas such as peacekeeping, maritime security, border security, counterterrorism skills, and as appropriate supporting USG agencies and implementing other programs that promote regional stability.
Should AFRICOM address Africa-specific security challenges, such as preventing the use of child soldiers and countering the role of civil militias and other armed, non-terrorist elements in conflict-prone areas? If so, how?
AFRICOM can help African partners address these kinds of African-specific security challenges. Fostering a fundamental respect for the rule of law should not stop within the civilian realm. By capitalizing on military relationships throughout the continent, AFRICOM will be able to work with partner nation militaries to support the efforts of the Department of State in addressing these problems. By talking to African leaders and gaining an understanding of the depth and the nature of these problems, and using an interagency approach AFRICOM can help build African capacities to deal with these challenges.
What role will AFRICOM to play in humanitarian assistance?
AFRICOM will play a supporting role. The U.S. military is not an instrument of first resort in providing to humanitarian assistance but supports civilian relief agencies. We recognize the significant role and capabilities of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as the principal U.S. agency extending assistance to countries responding to and recovering from natural or man-made disaster. The U.S. military may be involved if it provides a unique service, if the civilian response is overwhelmed, and if civilian authorities request assistance. The USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance validates all such request for U.S. military assistance.
There will be a robust humanitarian-assistance and disaster-response branch within the command focused on Africa, which will include the participation of USAID staff. This will enable better planning and coordination of military support to humanitarian assistance efforts.
What criteria will be used to determine the size, location, and management of AFRICOM staff locations?
Site-selection criteria were developed in coordination with the Department of State. Some of the criteria include: political stability; security factors; access to regional and intercontinental transportation; availability of acceptable infrastructure; qualify of life; proximity to the African Union and regional organizations; proximity to U.S. government hubs; adequate Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). Possible sites are still under discussion within the U.S. government and with potential host governments.
Will AFRICOM expand the U.S. military presence and/or facilities at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti?
AFRICOM plans to utilize Camp Lemonier as an enduring Forward Operating Site. There are no current plans to expand the U.S. presence at Camp Lemonier. Once established, AFRICOM will conduct analysis to determine the appropriate level and capability of assigned personnel and facilities in order to meet strategic mission requirements.
What role will AFRICOM play in UN peacekeeping missions and in peacekeeping training?
UN peacekeeping missions need professionally trained peacekeepers. The African Union’s stated policy is to man as many African peace support operations with African peacekeepers. To support both of these objectives, AFRICOM will continue the work begun by U.S. European Command and U.S. Central Command in assisting in the training of African peacekeepers. AFRICOM will work closely with the State Department to train African peacekeepers through the State Department’s African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program.
AFRICOM will also continue to provide small military teams for special mentoring assistance to State Department-contracted ACOTA training events. The ACOTA program is highly successful and is increasing its program strength and effectiveness on the continent. AFRICOM will aggressively work with State Department to resource military mentors for ACOTA training events, and will continue to reach out to European nations interested in partnering with peacekeeping training.
What role will AFRICOM play with the African Union?
The nations of Africa have formed organizations to promote security and cooperation on the continent, and these organizations will carry the lion's share of stability operations and other missions in Africa. AFRICOM is in a prime position to assist building the military capabilities of those nations that strive to take on greater regional responsibility through military-to-military training and exercises. Additionally, when directed, the command will be prepared to support African-led operations, such as the airlift provided for the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS). In general, by being a committed and focused partner, AFRICOM seeks to work with African nations and their organizations as they shoulder the demands of maintaining security and prosperity on the continent.
How will AFRICOM coordinate with non-governmental organizations (NGOs)?
AFRICOM will establish a robust relationship with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). AFRICOM will reach out to the NGO community in Africa through the Partnership Division in the command’s Outreach Office. As AFRICOM establishes and maintains key relationships, the command will continue to coordinate with USAID representatives within the headquarters staff.
What will be the relationship between AFRICOM and other U.S. regional commands?
Once AFRICOM reaches Full Operational Capability (FOC), there will be a series of agreements between AFRICOM and U.S. European Command with regards to the Mediterranean Dialogue countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia,). There will also be unique Commander-to-Commander agreements and memoranda concerning Egypt, Yemen and Gulf of Aden (between U.S. Central Command and AFRICOM). Combatant commanders closely coordinate as necessary to accomplish all assigned missions.
What will be the relationship between AFRICOM and the U.S. Secretary of State?
While there will be no direct command relationship between the Secretary of State and the AFRICOM Commander, there will be an expectation of a close working relationship between the two. Because AFRICOM is focused on coordinating U.S. military support for foreign-relations activities, there is an expectation that AFRICOM will have a closer, integrated working relationship with the Department of State.
What will be the relationship between AFRICOM and U.S. Embassies and Chiefs of Mission in African nations?
In a foreign country, the U.S. Ambassador is responsible to the President for directing, coordinating and supervising all U.S. Government elements in the host nation. The AFRICOM Commander will coordinate and exchange information with U.S. Chiefs of Mission regularly on matters of mutual interest, to include engagement activities with partner militaries. It is also likely that AFRICOM will host regional conferences in coordination with Chiefs of Mission.
How will AFRICOM function with two deputies?
The commander of AFRICOM will have two deputies: the Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Activities (DCMA -- filled by a senior Department of State Foreign Service officer) and the Deputy to the Commander for Military Operations (DCMO -- filled by a military flag officer). Both positions are 3-star officer equivalents and peer equals. Each will have primary spheres of responsibility to work in conjunction with the other.
U.S. law, as written in Title 10 of the United States Code, does not allow a State Department official to exercise military command. Because of this, the Departments of Defense and State have agreed to the title of “Deputy to the Commander” instead of "Deputy Commander" to ensure parallelism between both positions without implying that both positions have military command authority.
The Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Activities (DCMA) will direct the command’s civil-military planning and programs, with emphasis on aligning AFRICOM activity with that of other U.S. government departments and agencies carrying out U.S. foreign policy. The Deputy to the Commander for Military Operations (DCMO) will implement and execute the command’s activities, including those planned and programmed by the DCMA.
What are the responsibilities of the two deputies?
The Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Activities (DCMA) will be responsible for AFRICOM policy development, resourcing, and program assessment. The DCMA will direct the command's plans and programs associated with health, humanitarian assistance, humanitarian mine action, disaster response, and security sector reform.
The Deputy to the Commander for Military Operations (DCMO) will be responsible for AFRICOM operational implementation and execution. Additionally, the DCMO will exercise command authority in the AFRICOM commander's absence.
Because we wish to integrate activities and eliminate “stovepipes” -- separate lines of communication -- both Deputies will collaborate and coordinate with each other on activities within their respective portfolios. To that end, they share responsibility to develop AFRICOM partnerships and capacity through the planning and execution of contingency and other operations (such as non-combatant evacuation, humanitarian assistance, disaster response and peace support); joint and combined training and exercises; foreign military training and professional development; security assistance, and security sector reform.
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