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Bush approves new military command for Africa | |
2007-02-07 | |
President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he had approved plans to create a U.S. military command for Africa, a move that reflects increased U.S. strategic interest in the continent. Bush's decision was the culmination of a long debate that gained momentum as Washington grew more concerned about Islamist militancy in parts of Africa and more attracted by the potential of the continent's natural resources. "This new command will strengthen our security cooperation with Africa and create new opportunities to bolster the capabilities of our partners in Africa," Bush said. "Africa Command will enhance our efforts to bring peace and security to the people of Africa and promote our common goals of development, health, education, democracy and economic growth in Africa," he said in a statement. In Germany, a spokeswoman for the U.S. military, Holly Silkman, told the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper the unit dubbed "Africom" would be based initially in the Kelly Barracks in the Moehringen district of Stuttgart. "We've started moving already this week," Silkman told the newspaper's Wednesday edition. She said the unit would later be transferred to a base in Africa. Bush said he had asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to get the new Africom unit up and running
The United States has paid increasing attention to Africa in recent years, partly out of anxiety that African states with weak governments can be a haven for Islamist militants. The United States began counterterrorism training in West and Central Africa in 2002, teaching local armies basic techniques to help them locate and take out militant cells. "It's an important continent," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. He said Pentagon officials would flesh out plans for the new command at a briefing on Wednesday. No commander had yet been nominated to run it, he said. While Africa now mainly falls under the remit of European Command and Central Command, Pacific Command has responsibility for Madagascar and some other smaller islands. U.S. officials declined to say what the exact geographical boundaries of the new command would be. | |
Posted by:Seafarious |
#9 shellback: As Bono said, which wasn't widely reported for some reason: "George Bush has done more for Africa than any US President." Bush has an uncanny knack for seeing the possibilities in places totally ignored by Washington, like India and Africa. His opening of relations with India is far more than Nixon did with China. Incredibly good idea. In Africa, things are starting to happen that are both new and of intense interest to the US. They have what might become a multi-national army forming, al-Qaeda was making some serious inroads there until the US jumped in and kicked their ass, vast numbers of Africans are quitting Islam to become Christian, etc. And the Chinese are also becoming interested in Africa. Bush saw and sees the potential, and with some strong diplomatic and military efforts, we might end up if not uplifting Africa, than keeping it from becoming a major pain in the butt. |
Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-02-07 22:50 |
#8 bad idea...Africa would devour our time and our resources. Every time genocide breaks out, the world will either blame us or expect us to stop it. |
Posted by: shellback 2007-02-07 21:25 |
#6 Just cut the force structure for the new Command out of our NATO assets. It's not like that needs our attention anymore, and hasn't since the Soviet Union collapsed. Not that the Euros demonstrated their skills in the Balkans, but it's their problem. BTW, where were all the Donk's with resolutions to pull our troops out of Kosovo? |
Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-02-07 09:58 |
#5 A bit of historical extrapolation, nothing more. |
Posted by: Besoeker 2007-02-07 09:20 |
#4 Can someone explain to me what green beer has to do with this subject? Or, for that matter, reflexive bog bigotry against the English? |
Posted by: Excalibur 2007-02-07 09:01 |
#3 A blunder added to a long list of continental blunderings I fear, but Afri-Kommand has a most interesting ring to it. Any bets it won't be located in Salisbury. "From land to land throughout the world the news is going round, That Ireland's flag triumphant flies on high o'er English ground. In far-off Africa today the English fly dismayed Before the flag of green and gold borne by McBride's brigade." AR dTIR AR MUINTEAR AR dTEANGA' (our country, our people, our language') |
Posted by: Besoeker 2007-02-07 06:22 |
#2 Others would say the Saudi's are feeling vulnerable from their neighbors to the south. |
Posted by: Skidmark 2007-02-07 03:43 |
#1 Several Lefty Netters are already arguing is proof of Dubya's = USA's imperialism, as opposed of course to a GLOBAL ISLAMIST/JIHADIST STATE andor SOCIALIST WORLD ORDER PC DOMIN BY RUSSIA-CHINA. |
Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-02-07 01:20 |