AFRICA COMMAND REPOSITIONS FORCES

U.S. soldiers and East Africa Response Force soldiers depart a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft in Juba, Sudan, Dec. 18, 2013. The U.S. State Department requested the assistance of U.S. military forces in evacuating personnel from the embassy in Juba to Nairobi, Kenya, amid political and ethnic violence in South Sudan. DOD photo by Tech. Sgt. Micah Theurich, U.S. Air Force  

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT  
Africa Command Repositions Forces to Increase Flexibility
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2013 – The commander of U.S. Africa Command is repositioning forces in East Africa in an effort to attain maximum flexibility to respond to State Department requests, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters here today.

Warren also told reporters that three of the four U.S. personnel who were wounded Dec. 21 when they attempted to evacuate Americans from the town of Bor, South Sudan, will be evacuated to Landstuhl Army Hospital in Germany. The fourth will be evacuated when his condition stabilizes.

The four injured U.S. service members are currently in a hospital in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. They were hit by small-arms fire when their Osprey aircraft attempted to land in Bor.

Based on the current situation in South Sudan, Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, the commander of Africom, moved elements from the Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response from Moron, Spain, to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti.

“By positioning these forces forward, we are able to more quickly respond to crisis in the region, if required,” a defense official said. The Djiboutian government fully agrees with the movement.

The moves are precautionary, and there is risk associated with this or any other military operation, the colonel said.

“As everyone would expect, the combatant commander is repositioning forces in the region in an effort to give himself the maximum flexibility to respond to any follow-on request from the Department of State,” Warren said.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has been following the situation very closely, and is in nearly continuous communication with the combatant commander, the official said.

There has been no discussion about the U.S. military helping reposition United Nations forces, Warren said.

Defense Department and other government contracted aircraft have evacuated more than 300 personnel out of South Sudan’s capital of Juba including about 100 yesterday.

GENERAL HAM DISCUSSED CHALLENGES FOR U.S. AFRICA COMMAND

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Africom Commander Outlines Diverse Challenges Ahead
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2013 - Somalia and Mali represent different stages of the challenges for U.S. Africa Command, Army Gen. Carter F. Ham told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.

Ham, who will step down as Africom commander next month, said the five-year-old command has increased operational capabilities and capacities and has worked to build and focus security cooperation on the continent.

"Our approach seeks to address the near-term threats to our national security while simultaneously building partnerships and fostering regional cooperation which contribute to achieving longer-term U.S. objectives in Africa," he said.

Africa has been a mixed bag in recent years, with positive steps in Somalia and security challenges in Mali.

Along with allies in East Africa, Africom developed a strategy that has seriously weakened the terror group al-Shabaab, Ham said. "Somalia still faces significant political, economic and security challenges, but the Somali people now have something they haven't had for a very long time: hope for a better future," he added. "And I'm proud that we've played a role in that."

In Central Africa, African troops, advised and assisted by U.S. Army Special Forces personnel, have achieved some significant tactical gains against the Lord's Resistance Army and its leader, Joseph Kony. "Today, we are seeing increased levels of LRA defections, fewer LRA attacks, and enhanced cooperation between the military forces in the region," the general told the Senate panel.

Africom also is working with nations and regional groups in the Gulf of Guinea to boost cooperation against pirates, smuggling and illegal trafficking, Ham said.

Such security initiatives illustrate what can be achieved through an Africa-led endeavor to which America provides support and logistical capabilities, he said, and this same approach could be key to establishing peace and stability in Mali. The command has supported French and African allies' efforts in northern Mali and is sharing intelligence and providing some transportation to forces opposing al-Qaida in the Islamic Mahgreb, he said.

But while the increasing willingness of many African partners to actively address shared threats is encouraging, the general told the panel, other trends in the region are deeply concerning. Terror groups in West and North Africa are increasingly working together, he noted.

"The loss of four Americans in Libya and three more in Algeria underscores the threat presented by this growing network," Ham said.

The terror groups individually pose threats to the region, he said, but their increasing collaboration increases the danger they present collectively.

"I'm convinced that if left unchecked," Ham added, "this network will develop into one that poses a greater and more imminent threat to U.S. interests."

Stopping the spread of these groups is the command's top priority, the general said. "At the same time, we're tasked to focus on prevention through a very active partnership strategy," he said. "It remains clear that Africans must solve Africa's problems."

And it is in this area that fiscal challenges will hurt the most, Ham said.

"I'm concerned about the impacts resulting from the combined effects of sequestration and a continuing resolution," the general told the senators. "We've already had to make difficult decisions based on the availability of funds, such as reducing reconnaissance flights."

Budget reductions will cut theater security cooperation engagements and will reduce important joint and combined exercises, Ham said. The cuts, possible cuts and threatened cuts mean uncertainty in both the military ranks and in Africom's civilian workforce, he added.

"They are not sure what to expect of their government," Ham said.

Civilian employees face furloughs, he noted, and military personnel and their families face the question of whether Congress will sustain programs.

"I don't think we yet understand what effect this uncertainty may have in the recruiting and retention of our civilian workforce, and perhaps even more importantly, on the recruiting and retention of what I think is the crown jewel in all of this, and that's the sustainment of the incredibly talented all-volunteer force we have," he said. "I think there are a lot more unknowns right now than knowns."

The command is looking at new ways to address the many challenges in Africa, Ham said. "The Army's regionally aligned force, Navy's Africa Partnership Station, and the Air Force counterpart, Africa Partnership Flight, are programs the services have purposely designed to help us achieve our objectives," he said. "We look forward to the capabilities of the Marine Corps' new Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force, which will bring improvements in our crisis-response capabilities."

Ham commended Africom's service members and civilians as he prepares to turn over the command to Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez.

AFRICOM COMMANDER WORRIES ABOUT COLLABORATGING EXTREMIST

Army General Carter F. Ham

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Collaborating Extremist Groups Worry Africom Commander

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2012 – Extremist groups collaborating in Africa pose a threat beyond the region that extends to Europe and the United States, U.S. Africa Command’s top military officer said here today.

Countering violent extremists is a growing challenge for Africom, Army Gen. Carter F. Ham told an audience at George Washington University.

The al-Qaida affiliated terror group al-Shabab is active in Somalia, though it is being dealt with, Ham said, and lawlessness in Libya is attracting another terror group, al-Qaida in the Islamic Mahgreb. That group continues to operate in northern Mali, which Ham calls a "haven" for terrorists.

In Nigeria, the militant group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a series of terrorist attacks in recent months. Ham emphasized that these groups and others signal the importance of Africa Command in countering extremists on the continent.

But although those individual organizations are "dangerous and important," Ham said, his biggest worry is a growing linkage and network of collaboration and synchronization among them. That, he added, "poses the greatest threat to regional stability more broadly across Africa, into Europe and the United States as well."

Africom stood up Oct. 1, 2008, and is the newest geographic command. Ham said the command’s mission is to advance the national security interests of the United States in Africa. "We think we do that best by strengthening the defense capabilities of African nations so they are increasingly capable of providing not only for their own security, but contributing to regional security and stability as well," he said.

Africa Command has taken direct action on the continent, as demonstrated last year by the U.S. effort in the skies over Libya to protect civilians there from forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. "But we think we are at our best when we are supporting and enabling African nations and African regional organizations to achieve their ends," the general added.

That African officials are best able to confront and surmount African challenges is a mantra for Africom, Ham said, noting that his command is best known on the continent for training African forces and providing enabling technologies.

The defense strategic guidance announced earlier this year gave pause to many on the continent, Ham acknowledged, because of its focus on the Asia-Pacific region. "There was, by my count, one mention of the word Africa" in the document, he said. But he noted the guidance includes more than the Asia-Pacific focus.

"The focus on the Pacific makes sense, but rather than focus on the geographic priorities, take a look at the mission sets that are outlined in the strategic defense guidance," he said. At the top of the list is countering extremist organizations. Next is maintaining global access, followed by building partner capacity. U.S. forces must be ready to contribute to humanitarian and disaster relief missions and to prevent and respond to mass atrocities, the general said.

"All these, sadly, are necessary in Africa," he added.

PRIORITY SETTING OF THE U.S. AFRICA COMMAND

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Members of the U.S. Africa Command headquarters staff at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, as Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, Africom commander, shares his priorities during his first all-hands meeting, March 28, 2011. DOD photo by Army 1st Class Claude Dixon  

Priorities Set U.S. Africa Command's Agenda
By Donna Miles
STUTTGART, Germany, June 11, 2012 - After a year of significant change sweeping the African continent – a wave of democratic movements, the emergence of South Sudan as the world's newest nation and an increase in violent extremism, among them – U.S. Africa Command is using the new defense strategic guidance to shape its engagement in the theater.

"In line with the new strategic guidance, we've prioritized our efforts, focusing on the greatest threats to America, Americans and American interests," Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, Africom commander, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March.
Ham's strategy, encapsulated in an eight-page command strategy document published in September, is based on four top priorities:
-- Countering terrorism and violent extremist organizations;
-- Countering piracy and illicit trafficking;
-- Partnering to strengthen defense capabilities; and
-- Preparing for and responding to crises.
All support two guiding principles, Ham explained during an interview with American Forces Press Service at his headquarters here: that a safe, secure and stable Africa is in the United States' national interests, and that Africans are best suited to address African security challenges.

No Africom effort gets higher billing than its initiatives aimed at eliminating terrorist safe havens and support for terrorist organizations intent on attacking the United States and its citizens, allies and interests abroad.

"Countering the threats posed by al-Qaida affiliates in East and Northwest Africa remains my No. 1 priority," Ham said.

But for security to take hold in Africa for the long-term, Ham also recognizes the importance of strengthening African partners' defense capabilities so they can address their own security challenges. He noted ongoing efforts to increase capacity in peacekeeping, maritime security, disaster response and other key areas. The general noted the value of this investment, from "train-the-trainer" sessions conducted at the tactical level to leader development programs that will have positive long-term strategic implications.
"We are planting seeds, if you will, and allowing those to develop and grow," he said, noting that it's all being done with no permanently assigned forces and limited forces on the ground.

"I think we get a disproportionate positive effect for a relatively small investment," Ham said. "We don't use lots of troops. Generally, our exercises and engagements are pretty small-scale." They typically involve an individual ship, a small group of Marines, Seabees or veterinarians, or a maintenance detachment, he explained.

"But the effect is multiplied, because our focus is on training and enabling the Africans to do things for themselves," he said. "So there is a compounding effect that results from our engagement."

Army Maj. Gen. Charles Hooper, Africom's director of strategy, plans and programs, said Africom's small force structure, limited assets and relatively small budget makes it a Defense Department model as it puts into practice new strategic guidance that emphasizes leaner, more agile operations.

"If you look at the strategic guidance, it talks about a small footprint," he said. "And I would say that Africa Command is the quintessential small footprint, providing the maximum return and the maximum impact for our national policies with limited resources. We have become masters at providing the maximum return on investment."