The creation of a new quasi-military command for Africa will not boost U.S. troops or resources for the continent, a senior official said. "They shouldn't look at this like, 'Here's another donor, here's another source of revenue,'" said Principal Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Ryan Henry at a Pentagon press conference Monday.U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, will be operational by September 2007, although its headquarters location has still not been determined. It will be based in Africa, but will likely have a small staff, with just over half military personnel. The remaining staff will be State Department and other government agency representatives who together will comprise a new kind of military combatant command -- not to plan and wage wars, but to train foreign militaries, help them coordinate their activities across country lines, and coordinate U.S. government diplomatic, humanitarian and military efforts with individual nations.
Unlike other regional commands, AFRICOM's deputy commander will be a civilian from the State Department. "We are looking at a different mission set for AFRICOM," Henry said. Its principal mission is security cooperation, Henry said. "It will not be in warfighting."
Henry denied that the creation of AFRICOM was a response to growing Chinese business and government involvement in Africa, expanding terrorist activity or Africa's known oil reserves and other natural resources. AFRICOM should be operating as a sub-unified command by September 2007, with full capabilities in September 2008, the U.S. official said.
Henry's comments highlighted the increasing concern that U.S. policymakers have towards the spread of extreme Islamism and other destabilizing forces in sub-Saharan Africa.