AFRICOM Uses Whole-of-Government to Engage Nations

The commander of U.S. Africa Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that his command is engaged throughout the continent to encourage allies and partners and strengthen the rule of law.

By Jim Garamone , DoD News, Defense Media Activity Ft. Meade, Maryland Feb 08, 2019

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WASHINGTON - The commander of U.S. Africa Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that his command is engaged throughout the continent to encourage allies and partners and strengthen the rule of law.

Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser said his combatant command is engaged in fulfilling the needs of the National Defense Strategy in Africa, especially in light of the main threat — the return of global competition from Russia and China.

Africa is a huge continent with diverse people. Overall, the continent suffers from a lack of infrastructure and development. In some countries, corruption is rampant and the basic needs of their citizens are ignored.

Extremism, Competition

Some countries on the continent — such as Somalia, Libya, Nigeria, Niger and others — suffer from the plague of violent extremism. The al-Shabab terror group in Somalia still controls areas in that unfortunate nation. Boko Haram in West Africa threatens Nigeria, Niger, Mali and the countries of the Lake Chad region. There are others.

Piled on top of this is the resurgence of great power competition and China is the most active participant on the continent, Waldhauser said.

“Taken comprehensively, the overall U.S. strategic interests in Africa are clear,” he said.” “Prevent the undermining of our alliances or destabilization of Africa nations, counter violent extremist organizations, decrease the potential for Africa to become a failed continent, protect U.S. citizens and the homeland and advance American influence including economic opportunities and transactions.”

Whole-Of-Government Approach

Waldhauser said a whole-of-government approach is the centerpiece for everything the command does on the continent. Command officials work closely with colleagues in the State Department and the Agency for International Development. “U.S. strategic interests on the continent cannot be solely advanced through the use of military force alone,” he said. “As such, Africom uses the military tool in concert with diplomacy and development efforts to help negate the drivers of conflict and create opportunity.”

Somalia is a good example of this. Yes, there is a military aspect to countering al-Shabab, Waldhauser said, but the command works closely in Mogadishu with the U.S. ambassador and the resident office of USAID.

“In Libya, our counterterrorism commitment supports the U.S. charge [d‘affaires], who works closely with the international community to prevent civil conflict and facilitate political reconciliation process,” he said.

The command participates in exercises and operations throughout the continent. All are meant to strengthen local security, facilitate alliances in the regions and support rule of law initiatives.

“Our partnered networks and influence ensures access for U.S. forces in times of crises to protect our personnel and facilities on the continent, such as in Djibouti and area with strategic significance to multiple combatant commands,” Waldhauser said.

The command emphasizes engagements and capacity building among the African nations, he said, and African military personnel study at American schools and participate in exercises and operations alongside American personnel.

Federal Government of Somalia engages ISIS-Somalia with support from U.S. Forces

Africa Endeavor

U.S. Forces conduct strike against ISIS-Somalia

U.S. Africa Command 2025 Posture Statement to Senate Armed Services Committee

U.S. Forces conduct strike against ISIS-Somalia

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

NAIROBI, Kenya – Imagine two scenarios. Scenario 1: Dawn breaks over the capital of Kenya. A U.S. diplomat leaves his residence for the embassy. After a 20-minute ride, his car arrives at the gate and he enters. He sits in his office to begin the day when, all of a sudden, he hears an explosion through the open window. It seems far off; it is not a large explosion. He thinks maybe it was just a car accident, but minutes later he smells something bitter in the air. His eyes water, sirens blare and a U.S. Marine Corps security detail enters his office wearing gas masks. They put a mask on him and tell him they must evacuate immediately because a deadly chemical is blowing over the compound. Scenario 2: U.S. intelligence receives credible information that radiological material is being loaded onto a ship in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Time is short and no one knows which ship, only that it will embark soon, possibly bound for the hands of violent extremists or other state actors looking to imperil the U.S. homeland. There is no time to send U.S. security forces to intercept the package. Instead, the Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) mobilizes and arrives at the port. Using tactics and tools gained from years of training with the United States, they find the ship and the weapon, placed there by a violent extremist organization, and prevent its departure, defeating the threat to America and its citizens. Similar scenarios have happened before in other areas of the world.

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Belgian Ministry of Defence, in partnership with U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and U.S. Indo Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Chaplain Directorates, hosted the world’s largest annual meeting of senior military religious leaders at the 36th Annual NATO & Partner International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference (IMCCC) in Brussels, Belgium, January 27-31, 2025.

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

United States Africa Command

AFRICOM Uses Whole-of-Government to Engage Nations

The commander of U.S. Africa Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that his command is engaged throughout the continent to encourage allies and partners and strengthen the rule of law.

Commander of United States Africa Command Visits Somalia