U.S. Military Set for a Long Campaign in Africa

Economic competition with the European Union, China, and Russia for Africa's natural resources, consumer markets, and cheap labor is quickly evolving into political and military competiton. For those who think that such competition, with their likely evolution into energy wars, is restricted to the Middle East, only need to look south and west, into Africa.

U.S. Military Set for a Long Campaign in Africa

Business Day (Johannesburg), June 5, 2008

http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200806050366.html

By Wilson Johwa, Business Day, Johannesburg, South Africa

STRIDENT hostility towards a US military command centre for Africa (Africom) has prompted the US defence establishment to lobby civil society and key stakeholders in Africa, in a bid to garner support for the centre's planned relocation on African soil. Africom's establishment was announced early last year when US President George Bush argued the need for a unified military command for Africa, excluding Egypt. Previously, the US military divided its African responsibilities among four independent military headquarters, including the US Central Command responsible for its contingent in Djibouti.

Based in Stuttgart, Germany, Africom's intention was that within a year, in October, it would move to a location in Africa where military functions would run alongside development and relief work. Yet the prospect of a US base did not appeal to African states, including SA, which rejected the idea.

Last year, the newly appointed first commander of Africom, Gen William Ward, failed to meet Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota during his visit to drum up support for the planned command. "SA wants absolutely nothing to do with it, not even talking to the Americans about it," Richard Cornwell of the Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS) says. Among other African countries, only Liberia has expressed a willingness to host the proposed centre, which the US said would focus on preventing war rather than on fighting.

However, it has emerged that the centre has been struggling to secure a home on the continent, partly because US-funded aid agencies are averse to working side by side with troops due to the increased risk to development workers and the military's lack of training in meaningful development. As a result, the centre was forced to scale back its plans. Africom will now stay in Germany indefinitely while five smaller regional offices have been put on ice as the military searched for places to locate them.

Africom sees its mission as conducting noncombat evacuations, support for peacekeeping operations and training, waging the global war on terror, and humanitarian relief operations. Resistance in Africa is forcing the US to look at different options. For instance, the office of the secretary for defence for policy aimed to support Africom by establishing a civil-military forum (CMF), managed by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS). Run by the defence department and based at the National Defence University in Washington, ACSS's objectives include building an understanding and support for the war on terror, establishing networks and maintaining relationships with African civilian and military professionals, together with conveying US policy perspectives to African leaders.

It was envisaged that the CMF would become "a place of mutual respect, facilitating dialogue and fostering relationships" between Africom and other members of the civil-military community, particularly international organisations focused on Africa . Former US ambassador to Kenya Mark Bellamy was tasked with developing the CMF concept as well as providing overall management of the CMF effort at ACSS. In another strategy aimed at preparing for Africom's presence in Africa, consultants were contracted to look at "potential fluctuations in the investment, business and political climates in Africa" due to a possible US military presence. The focus of the exercise was to "identify key stakeholders that would benefit or suffer losses economically, financially, socially, politically or in terms of influence" from a decision to base the Africom headquarters or other US military presence in their region of influence in Africa.

Apparently, the "stakeholder survey" entails naming individuals and organisations in the five African regions that would support a US military facility or those that would be disadvantaged, potentially opening the possibility of influencing them directly. But a spokesman for New York-based Ergo Advisors says its brief is merely to show the pros and cons of Africom's presence in whatever country is chosen as host.

The head of the ISS, Mike Hough, says the US's push to tap into Africa's oil resources, together with a desire to counter the growing Chinese influence, make it unlikely it will abandon its planned Africa command centre. When it eventually comes, Africom is less likely to be in southern Africa than in east or north Africa. However, although unlikely, US priorities might change when Bush leaves office early next year. "The one thing that one doesn't know is if the Democrats will take a different line," Hough says.