US to get Africa command centre
President George W Bush has approved a Pentagon plan for a command
centre for Africa to oversee US military activities on the continent.
"This new command will strengthen our security co-operation with
Africa," President Bush said.
Mr. Bush said he had asked Defence Secretary Robert Gates to get the
new command, known as Africom, up and running by the end of September
2008. He said the US would consult African leaders on the command's
base. Mr. Gates said the new Africa Command would allow the US to better
co-ordinate action and counter potential threats.
The US gets more than 10% of its oil from Africa and is worried about
increased economic and diplomatic competition from China, the BBC's
defence and security correspondent Rob Watson reports.
There are also a variety of US security and humanitarian concerns
ranging from the potential rise of militant Islam to the threat of
failed states and the spectre of future genocides, our correspondent
says. The Pentagon has voiced concern about potential threats, including
terrorist threats that could emerge in war-torn areas such as Somalia.
US forces carried out at least two air strikes in Somalia last month,
targeting suspected al-Qaeda militants.
Africa Command would be the fifth regional operations base for the
US. Unlike other regional US commands, the Africa command will not be
about preparing troops for major combat operations, as no African nation
poses a direct military threat. Rather, US officials say, it will focus
on military training operations designed to help local governments.
'Outdated arrangement'.
Responsibility for Africa operations is currently divided among three
regional commands. It was unclear whether the new command centre would
be located in Africa or the United States, as are the US Central
Command, the Southern Command, and the Pacific Command. The US currently
has an anti-terror task force based in Djibouti.
Mr. Gates revealed the new plans as he addressed the Senate Armed
Services Committee on the defence spending President Bush proposed in
his 2008 budget, submitted to Congress on Monday.
"This command will enable us to have a more effective and integrated
approach than the current arrangement... an outdated arrangement left
over from the Cold War," Mr. Gates said. He said the Africa command
centre would "oversee security, co-operation, building partnership
capability, defence support to non-military missions, and, if directed,
military operations".
BBC
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