USAFRICOM, in close coordination with national, international, and regional partners, employs Military Information Support Operations (MISO) as a critical component of Department of Defense (DoD) communication efforts. These operations are designed to enhance regional stability, strengthen security cooperation, and counter illicit activities throughout the USAFRICOM area of responsibility. A primary focus of these MISO activities is addressing the complex challenges posed by terrorists and malign state actors across the continent.

Specifically, USAFRICOM conducts Counterterrorism (CT) MISO targeting groups like al-Qaida, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and their branches, as well as other U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and their affiliates, such as al-Shabaab. These efforts concentrate in North, East, and Sahel Africa, aiming to diminish support for these terrorists and proactively counter their propaganda. Beyond counterterrorism, MISO is also implemented in West Africa to disrupt the activities of malign state actors.

Through 2026, USAFRICOM and its subordinate commands will continue to adapt and expand these MISO activities, leveraging both established and emerging communication technologies. This includes utilizing print media, radio broadcasts, text messaging, direct engagement, television programming, social media platforms, and online resources to achieve several key objectives. These objectives include decreasing recruitment and support for terrorists, promoting alternative narratives that reject violence, hatred, and extremism, countering adverse propaganda, facilitating disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs, and reducing the flow of foreign fighters into the region.

These MISO efforts are strategically focused on areas facing the greatest instability and threat. Priority regions include the Lake Chad Basin (Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Mali), the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania), the Maghreb (Libya and Tunisia), and the Gulf of Guinea (Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé, Gabon, and Congo). Activities are carefully tailored to address the specific threats present in each country or region, and are always conducted in close cooperation with local partners as opportunities arise.

These MISO activities directly contribute to the defense of the U.S. homeland by addressing threats at their source. Disrupting terrorist recruitment, countering extremist ideologies, and preventing the flow of foreign fighters reduces the potential for attacks against the United States and its interests. By bolstering the capacity of African partners to address these threats independently, USAFRICOM MISO minimizes the need for large-scale U.S. military intervention and reduces the risk of ungoverned spaces becoming safe havens for terrorist groups that could plot attacks against the homeland. Furthermore, countering malign influence in the region prevents the establishment of networks that could facilitate transnational crime and potentially support terrorist activities targeting the U.S.

Furthermore, USAFRICOM MISO supports a broader range of operations, including reward and tip line programs facilitated through the DoD Rewards Program, maritime security operations, noncombatant evacuations, humanitarian assistance initiatives, and personnel recovery efforts. The DoD Rewards Program provides valuable information and nonlethal assistance to both U.S. and allied forces engaged in combined operations against international terrorism or focused on force protection in Libya, Kenya, and Somalia.

Recognizing the importance of collaboration, USAFRICOM MISO activities also support joint training events with partner nations throughout the region. These events aim to address shared security concerns, promote adherence to the rule of law, and foster military professionalism. All MISO activities are meticulously coordinated with U.S. government agencies and partner nations to ensure a unified and effective approach.