73-531: The United States Africa Command ( USAFRICOM , U.S. AFRICOM , and AFRICOM ) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense , headquartered at Kelley Barracks , Stuttgart , Germany . It is responsible for U.S. military operations, including fighting regional conflicts and maintaining military relations with 53 African nations. Its area of responsibility covers all of Africa except Egypt , which
146-490: A Center for Contemporary Conflict journal at the Naval Postgraduate School , noted that U.S. policy towards Africa, at least in the medium-term, looks to be largely defined by international terrorism, the increasing importance of African oil to American energy needs, and the dramatic expansion and improvement of Sino-African relations since 2000. In mid-2006, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld formed
219-530: A United States Space Command (USSPACECOM). A previous unified combatant command for unified space operations was decommissioned in 2002. The new USSPACECOM will include "(1) all the general responsibilities of a Unified Combatant Command; (2) the space-related responsibilities previously assigned to the Commander, United States Strategic Command ; and (3) the responsibilities of Joint Force Provider and Joint Force Trainer for Space Operations Forces". USSPACECOM
292-650: A combatant command ( CCMD ), is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces , and conducts broad and continuing missions. There are currently 11 unified combatant commands, and each is established as the highest echelon of military commands, in order to provide effective command and control of all U.S. military forces, regardless of branch of service, during peace or during war time. Unified combatant commands are organized either on
365-489: A comprehensive whole-of-government approach, are aimed at increasing African partner nations' capacity to maintain a stable environment, with an effective government that provides a degree of economic and social advancement for its citizens. The programs conducted by AFRICOM, in conjunction with African military forces focus on reconnaissance and direct action. However, AFRICOM's directives are to keep American military forces out of direct combat as best as possible. Despite this,
438-542: A contingency headquarters in support of crisis response. The commander of SETAF-AF is DCG for Africa. As of March 2013, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division , the "Dagger Brigade", is being aligned with AFRICOM. U.S. Naval Forces Europe - Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) area of responsibility (AOR) covers approximately half of the Atlantic Ocean, from the North Pole to Antarctica; as well as
511-514: A fully unified commander under the broader title of Commander in Chief, Atlantic (CINCLANT). The Army and Air Force objected, and CINCLANTFLT was activated as a unified command on 1 November 1947. A few days later, the CNO renewed his suggestion for the establishment of a unified Atlantic Command. This time his colleagues withdrew their objections, and on 1 December 1947, the U.S. Atlantic Command (LANTCOM)
584-427: A geographical basis (known as an " area of responsibility ", AOR) or on a functional basis, e.g., special operations , force projection , transport , and cybersecurity . Currently, seven combatant commands are designated as geographical, and four are designated as functional. Unified combatant commands are "joint" commands and have specific badges denoting their affiliation. The Unified Command Plan (UCP) establishes
657-562: A planning team to advise on requirements for establishing a new Unified Command for the African continent. In early December, he made his recommendations to President George W. Bush . On 6 February 2007, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced to the Senate Armed Services Committee that President George W. Bush had given authority to create the new African Command. U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Robert Moeller ,
730-510: A small but sustained presence throughout Africa, predominantly in the OEF-TS and CJTF-HOA regions. SOCAFRICA's persistent SOF presence provides an invaluable resource that furthers USG efforts to combat violent extremist groups and builds partner nation CT capacity. On 8 April 2011, Naval Special Warfare Unit 10, operationally assigned and specifically dedicated for SOCAFRICA missions, was commissioned at Panzer Kaserne , near Stuttgart, Germany. It
803-566: A specific mission. Some of the operations in North and West Africa target ISIS, and Boko Haram. In East Africa, missions focus on targeting terrorist group Al-Shabaab and piracy. Contingency Location Garoua is a United States Army base in Garoua , Cameroon used to support military operations against Boko Haram . Approximately 200 personnel work at the site. The site is located adjacent to Cameroonian Air Force Base 301 . Soldiers from
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#1732786562179876-774: A specific type of nontransferable operational command authority over assigned forces, regardless of branch of service. The chain of command for operational purposes (per the Goldwater–Nichols Act ) goes from the president of the United States through the secretary of defense to the combatant commanders. The Department of Defense defines at least four types of command authority: Geographic combatant commands Functional combatant commands Currently, four geographic combatant commands have their headquarters located outside their geographic area of responsibility. The current system of unified commands in
949-648: A sub-unified command of EUCOM with a separate headquarters. On 1 October 2008 became a fully operational command and incorporated pre-existing entities, including the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa that was created in 2002. At this time, the command also separated from USEUCOM and began operating on its own as a full-fledged combatant command. In 2007, the White House announced that Africa Command "will strengthen our security cooperation with Africa and create new opportunities to bolster
1022-687: Is a dual-mission arrangement for United States Marine Corps Forces, Europe . On 3 December 2008, the U.S. announced that Army and Navy headquarters units of AFRICOM would be hosted in Italy . The AFRICOM section of the Army's Southern European Task Force would be located in Vicenza and Naval Forces Europe in Naples would expand to include the Navy's AFRICOM component. Special Operations Command, Africa (SOCAFRICA)
1095-532: Is administratively assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group 2 on the U.S. East Coast. Organizations included in SOCAFRICA include: Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) conducts operations in the East Africa region to build partner nation capacity in order to promote regional security and stability, prevent conflict, and protect U.S. and coalition interests. CJTF-HOA's efforts, as part of
1168-768: Is also established, gaining control over Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara (JSOTF-TS) and Special Operations Command and Control Element – Horn of Africa (SOCCE-HOA). The U.S. Army has allocated a brigade to the Africa Command. Headquartered on Lucius D. Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, U.S. Army Europe and Africa — Southern European Task Force - Africa (SETAF-AF), in concert with national and international partners, conducts sustained security engagement with African land forces to promote peace, stability, and security in Africa. As directed, it can deploy as
1241-631: Is now the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF). U.S. Africa Command completed fiscal year 2010 with approximately 2,000 assigned personnel, which includes military, civilian, contractor, and host nation employees. About 1,500 work at the command's main headquarters in Stuttgart. Others are assigned to the command's units in England and Florida, along with security cooperation officers posted at U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions in Africa to coordinate Defense Department programs within
1314-531: Is staffed by 1,500 personnel. In addition, the command has military and civilian personnel assigned at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti ; RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom ; MacDill Air Force Base, Florida ; and in Offices of Security Cooperation and Defense Attaché Offices in about 38 African countries. It was reported in June 2007 that African countries were competing to host the headquarters because it would bring money for
1387-604: Is within the area of responsibility of the United States Central Command . U.S. AFRICOM headquarters operating budget was $ 276 million in fiscal year 2012. The Commander of U.S. AFRICOM reports to the Secretary of Defense . The current Commander of the U.S. Africa Command stated that the purpose of the command is to work alongside African military personnel to support their military operations. In individual countries, U.S. ambassadors continue to be
1460-1047: The 10th Mountain Division were stationed at the base from October 2017. The task force provides security and logistics support for U.S. Africa Command's unmanned aerial vehicles, which gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of nearby hot spots to help the Cameroonians locate and defeat the enemy. The largest number of US troops in Africa are in Djibouti and perform a counter terrorism mission. The United States has roughly 400 troops in Somalia. American military forces work closely with African Union troops. Troops conduct raids with Somali troops and provide transport. American forces have engaged in firefights in self-defense and drone airstrikes have been called in to provide additional support. Unified combatant command A unified combatant command , also referred to as
1533-592: The Department of Defense community. Among these areas are resource scarcity and conflict, proliferation and deterrence , innovation and terrorism , U.S. strategy, non-state actors and violence, state failure and governance, and regional security and alliances. Research at CCC is sponsored by various federal agencies, including the Defense Threat Reduction Agency , the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration ,
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#17327865621791606-743: The Gulf of Guinea . The website Magharebia.com was launched by USEUCOM in 2004 to provide news about North Africa in English, French and Arabic. When AFRICOM was created, it took over operation of the website. Information operations of the United States Department of Defense was criticized by the Senate Armed Forces Committee and defunded by Congress in 2011. The site was closed down in February 2015. In 2007,
1679-545: The Joint Chiefs of Staff also created specified commands that had broad and continuing missions but were composed of forces from only one service. Examples include the U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean and the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command. Like the unified commands, the specified commands reported directly to the JCS instead of their respective service chiefs. These commands have not existed since
1752-652: The Joint Forces Command in the 1990s after the Soviet threat to the North Atlantic had disappeared and the need rose for an integrating and experimentation command for forces in the continental United States. Joint Forces Command was disbanded on 3 August 2011 and its components placed under the Joint Staff and other combatant commands. In January 2002, for the first time the entire surface of
1825-659: The National Intelligence Council , the Office of the Director of National Intelligence , the Office of the Secretary of Defense , the U.S. Pacific Command , and the U.S. Southern Command . The CCC also manages programs and facilitates federal sponsorships for other private institutions, in addition to executing federally sponsored research. The Center on Contemporary Conflict previously published
1898-551: The Pacific War proved more difficult to organize, as neither General of the Army Douglas MacArthur nor Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was willing to be subordinate to the other, for reasons of interservice rivalry . The Joint Chiefs of Staff continued to advocate in favor of establishing permanent unified commands, and President Harry S. Truman approved the first plan on 14 December 1946. Known as
1971-604: The Royal United Services Institute in London that some portion of that staff headquarters being on the continent at some point in time would be "a positive factor in helping us better deliver programs." General Ward also told the BBC the same day in an interview that there are no definite plans to take the headquarters or a portion of it to any particular location on the continent. President Bush denied that
2044-868: The Seventeenth Air Force by assuming the AFAFRICA mission upon the 17AF's deactivation on 20 April 2012. U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Africa conducts operations, exercises, training, and security cooperation activities throughout the AOR. In 2009, MARFORAF participated in 15 ACOTA missions aimed at improving partners' capabilities to provide logistical support, employ military police, and exercise command and control over deployed forces. MARFORAF conducted military to military events in 2009 designed to familiarize African partners with nearly every facet of military operations and procedures, including use of unmanned aerial vehicles, tactics, and medical skills. MARFORAF, as
2117-563: The Unified Command Plan of 1956–1957. A 1958 "reorganization in National Command Authority relations with the joint commands" with a "direct channel" to unified commands such as Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) was effected after President Dwight Eisenhower expressed concern about nuclear command and control. CONAD itself was disestablished in 1975. Although not part of the original plan,
2190-748: The United States Coast Guard . U.S. Africa Command has limited assigned forces and relies on the Department of Defense for resources necessary to support its missions. On 1 October 2008, the Seventeenth Air Force was established at Ramstein Air Base , Germany as the United States Air Force component of the Africa Command. Brig. Gen. Tracey Garrett was named as commander of the new USMC component, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa (MARFORAF), in November 2008. MARFORAF
2263-975: The United States Congress approved $ 500 million for the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative (TSCTI) over six years to support countries involved in counterterrorism against threats of Al Qaeda operating in African countries, primarily Algeria , Chad, Mali , Mauritania, Niger , Senegal, Nigeria , and Morocco . This program builds upon the former Pan Sahel Initiative (PSI), which concluded in December 2004 and focused on weapon and drug trafficking, as well as counterterrorism. Previous U.S. military activities in Sub-Saharan Africa have included Special Forces associated Joint Combined Exchange Training . Letitia Lawson, writing in 2007 for
United States Africa Command - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-536: The United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) would be elevated to the status of a unified combatant command from a sub-unified command. It was also announced that the separation of the command from the NSA would be considered. USCYBERCOM was elevated on 4 May 2018. Vice President Mike Pence announced on 18 December 2018 that President Donald Trump had issued a memorandum ordering the stand-up of
2409-753: The United States European Command with the Horn of Africa and Sudan transferred from the United States Central Command . Responsibility for U.S. military operations in the islands of Madagascar , the Comoros , the Seychelles and Mauritius was transferred from the United States Pacific Command . The AFRICOM headquarters is located at Kelley Barracks , a small urban facility near Stuttgart , Germany, and
2482-762: The United States Forces Korea (USFK) and United States Forces Japan (USFJ) under USINDOPACOM , and United States Forces—Afghanistan (USFA) under USCENTCOM . Center for Contemporary Conflict The Center on Contemporary Conflict (CCC) is the primary research wing of the Naval Postgraduate School's Department of National Security Affairs. The CCC conducts research on current and emerging national security threats, sharing its findings with United States and allied military and civilian decision makers. The Center on Contemporary Conflict broadly addresses several areas of national security research providing research and analysis to decision makers in
2555-409: The "Outline Command Plan", it would become the first in a series of Unified Command Plans. The original "Outline Command Plan" of 1946 established seven unified commands: Far East Command , Pacific Command , Alaskan Command , Northeast Command , the U.S. Atlantic Fleet , Caribbean Command, and European Command. However, on 5 August 1947, the CNO recommended instead that CINCLANTFLT be established as
2628-540: The Adriatic, Baltic, Barents, Black, Caspian, Mediterranean and North Seas. NAVEUR-NAVAF covers all of Russia , Europe and nearly the entire continent of Africa. It encompasses 105 countries with a combined population of more than one billion people and includes a landmass extending more than 14 million square miles. The area of responsibility covers more than 20 million square nautical miles of ocean, touches three continents and encompasses more than 67 percent of
2701-552: The African Union and regional organizations as well as individual nations on the continent. Air Forces Africa works with other U.S. Government agencies, to include the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to assist African partners in developing national and regional security institution capabilities that promote security and stability and facilitate development. 3AF succeeds
2774-545: The Armed Forces and the Joint Chiefs of Staff" (informally known as the " Key West Agreement "). The responsibilities of the unified commands were further expanded on 7 September 1948 when the commanders' authority was extended to include the coordination of the administrative and logistical functions in addition to their combat responsibilities. Far East Command and U.S. Northeast Command were disestablished under
2847-696: The Army , Secretary of the Navy , and the Secretary of the Air Force ) are legally responsible to "organize, train and equip" combatant forces and, as directed by the Secretary of Defense, assign their forces for use by the combatant commands. The Secretaries of the Military Departments thus exercise administrative control (ADCON) rather than operational control (OPCON—the prerogative of the combatant commander) over their forces. A sub-unified command, or, subordinate unified command, may be established by combatant commanders when authorized to do so by
2920-495: The COCOM HQ in one place and the putative "U.S. Army Forces, Africa", its air component, and "U.S. Naval Forces, Africa" in one to four separate locations. AFRICOM will not have the traditional J-type staff divisions, instead having outreach, plans and programs, knowledge development, operations and logistics, and resources branches. AFRICOM went back to a traditional J-Staff in early 2011 after General Carter Ham took command. In
2993-549: The Chairman does not exercise military command over any combatant forces. Under Goldwater–Nichols, the service chiefs (also four stars in rank) are charged with the responsibility of the strategic direction; unified operation of combatant commands; and the integration of all land, naval, and air forces in an efficient "unified combatant command" force. Furthermore, the Secretaries of the Military Departments (i.e., Secretary of
United States Africa Command - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-586: The Earth's coastline, 30 percent of its landmass, and nearly 40 percent of the world's population. Task Force 60 will normally be the commander of Naval Task Force Europe and Africa. Any naval unit within the USEUCOM or USAFRICOM AOR may be assigned to Task Force 60 as required upon by the Commander of the Sixth Fleet . Air Forces Africa ( AFAFRICA ) is located at Ramstein Air Base , Germany, and serves as
3139-488: The SOF component of Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara . SOCAFRICA's objectives are to build operational capacity, strengthen regional security and capacity initiatives, implement effective communication strategies in support of strategic objectives, and eradicate violent extremist organizations and their supporting networks. SOCAFRICA forces work closely with both U.S. Embassy country teams and African partners, maintaining
3212-493: The Secretary of Defense or the president. They are created to conduct a portion of the mission or tasking of their parent geographic or functional command. Sub-unified commands may be either functional or geographic, and the commanders of sub-unified commands exercise authority similar to that of combatant commanders. Examples of former and present sub-unified commands are the Alaskan Command (ALCOM) under USNORTHCOM ,
3285-561: The Strategic Air Command was disestablished in 1992. The relevant section of federal law, however, remains unchanged, and the President retains the power to establish a new specified command. The Goldwater–Nichols Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 clarified and codified responsibilities that commanders-in-chief (CINCs) undertook, and which were first given legal status in 1947. After that act, CINCs reported directly to
3358-755: The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff . In the European Theater , Allied military forces fell under the command of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). After SHAEF was dissolved at the end of the war, the American forces were unified under a single command, the US Forces, European Theater (USFET), commanded by General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower . A truly unified command for
3431-440: The U.S. Africa Command was operating along five lines of effort: On 18 March 2019, AFRICOM conducted an airstrike over Mogadishu, Somalia aimed at "the terrorist network and its recruiting efforts in the region", specifically referencing al-Shabaab. AFRICOM reported that the number of terrorists killed by this airstrike was 3, but this fact, as well as how many civilian casualties there were is still under dispute. The territory of
3504-431: The U.S. military emerged during World War II with the establishment of geographic theaters of operation composed of forces from multiple service branches that reported to a single commander who was supported by a joint staff. A unified command structure also existed to coordinate British and U.S. military forces operating under the Combined Chiefs of Staff , which was composed of the British Chiefs of Staff Committee and
3577-502: The United States Secretary of Defense , and through him to the President of the United States. Then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney announced in 1993 that the strategic command system should continue to evolve toward a joint global structure. The 1997 UCP assigned the former Soviet European republics and the whole of Russia to EUCOM which thus stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The former Soviet Central Asian republics were assigned to CENTCOM. The U.S. Atlantic Command became
3650-402: The United States has admitted to American troops being involved in direct action during missions with African military partners, namely in classified 127e programs . As of 2023, there have been at least 315 confirmed drone strikes from AFRICOM operations in Somalia. Estimates place the total number of deaths at least 1,668, with at least 33 civilians killed. Each AFRICOM operations has
3723-447: The United States was contemplating the construction of new bases on the African continent. U.S. plans include no large installations such as Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, but rather a network of "cooperative security locations" at which temporary activities will be conducted. There is one U.S. base on the continent, Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, with approximately 2,300 troops stationed there having been inherited from USCENTCOM upon standup of
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#17327865621793796-510: The air and space component to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) located at Stuttgart, Germany. Air Forces Africa shares a headquarters and units with United States Air Forces in Europe , and its component Air Force, 3AF (AFAFRICA) conducts sustained security engagement and operations as directed to promote air safety, security and development on the African continent. Through its Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) events, Air Forces Africa carries out AFRICOM's policy of seeking long-term partnership with
3869-433: The basis of AFRICOM facilities on the continent. Areas of military interest to the United States in Africa include the Sahara / Sahel region, over which Joint Task Force Aztec Silence is conducting anti-terrorist operations ( Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara ), Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, where Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa is located (overseeing Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa ), and
3942-447: The capabilities of our partners in Africa. 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." General Carter F. Ham said in a 2012 address at Brown University that U.S. strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa is to strengthen democratic institutions and boost broad-based economic growth. In 2017
4015-418: The case of senior admirals nominated for these positions. The operational chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense to the combatant commanders of the combatant commands. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may transmit communications to the Commanders of the combatant commands from the President and Secretary of Defense and advises both on potential courses of action, but
4088-419: The collocation of AFRICOM with the African Union 's developing peace and security apparatus . Prime Minister Meles Zenawi stated in early November that Ethiopia would be willing to work together closely with USAFRICOM. This was further reinforced when a U.S. Air Force official said on 5 December 2007, that Addis Ababa was likely to be the headquarters. On 18 February 2008, General Ward told an audience at
4161-406: The command consists of all of the African continent except for Egypt , which remains under the responsibility of Central Command, as it closely relates to the Middle East. USAFRICOM also covers island countries commonly associated with Africa: The U.S. military areas of responsibility involved were transferred from three separate U.S. unified combatant commands. Most of Africa was transferred from
4234-443: The command. In general, U.S. Unified Combatant Commands have an HQ of their own in one location, subordinate service component HQs, sometimes one or two co-located with the main HQ or sometimes spread widely, and a wide range of operating locations, main bases, forward detachments, etc. USAFRICOM initially appears to be considering something slightly different; spreading the actually COCOM HQ over several locations, rather than having
4307-432: The decades following enactment of Goldwater–Nichols, these JPME requirements have yet to come to overall fruition. This is particularly true in the case of senior naval officers, where sea duty / shore duty rotations and the culture of the naval service has often discounted PME and JPME as a measure of professional development for success. Although slowly changing, the JPME requirement still continues to be frequently waived in
4380-413: The director of the AFRICOM transition team, arrived in Stuttgart, Germany to begin creating the logistical framework for the command. The creation of the command was introduced to African military leaders by General William E. "Kip" Ward who traveled to various African countries. On 28 September, the U.S. Senate confirmed General Ward as AFRICOM's first commander and AFRICOM officially became operational as
4453-425: The earth was divided among the US geographic commands. Rumsfeld assigned the last unassigned region— Antarctica —to PACOM, which stretched from Pole to Pole and covered half of the globe. On 24 October 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced that in accordance with Title 10 of the US Code (USC), the title of " Commander-in-Chief " would thereafter be reserved for the President, consistent with
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#17327865621794526-532: The east coast of Africa. A U.S. military officer wrote the first public article calling for the formation of a separate African command in November 2000. Following a 2004 global posture review, the United States Department of Defense began establishing a number of Cooperative Security Locations (CSLs) and Forward Operating Sites (FOSs) across the African continent, through the auspices of EUCOM which had nominal command of West Africa at that time. These locations, along with Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti , would form
4599-420: The growing resistance and hostility on the African continent. Nigeria announced it will not allow its country to host a base and opposed the creation of a base on the continent. South Africa and Libya also expressed reservations of the establishment of a headquarters in Africa. The Sudan Tribune considered it likely that Ethiopia , a strong U.S. ally in the region, will house USAFRICOM's headquarters due to
4672-415: The host nation. As of December 2010, the command has five Senior Foreign Service officers in key positions as well as more than 30 personnel from 13 U.S. Government Departments and Agencies serving in leadership, management, and staff positions. Some of the agencies represented are the United States Departments of State , Treasury , and Commerce , United States Agency for International Development , and
4745-539: The lead component, continues to conduct Exercise AFRICAN LION in Morocco—the largest annual Combined Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) exercise on the African continent—as well as Exercise SHARED ACCORD 10, which was the first CJCS exercise conducted in Mozambique. In 2013, the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Africa was formed to provide quick response to American interests in North Africa by flying marines in Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft from bases in Europe. Special Operations Command Africa
4818-454: The missions, command responsibilities, and geographic areas of responsibility of the combatant commands. Each time the Unified Command Plan is updated, the organization of the combatant commands is reviewed for military efficiency and efficacy, as well as alignment with national policy. Each unified combatant command is led by a combatant commander (CCDR), who is a four-star general or admiral . The combatant commanders are entrusted with
4891-453: The primary diplomatic representative for relations with host nations. The incumbent commander is Michael E. Langley . Prior to the creation of AFRICOM, responsibility for U.S. military operations in Africa was divided across three unified commands: United States European Command (EUCOM) for West Africa, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) for East Africa, and United States Pacific Command (PACOM) for Indian Ocean waters and islands off
4964-424: The recipient country. Liberia has publicly expressed a willingness to host AFRICOM's headquarters, and in 2021 Nigeria expressed a similar interest. The U.S. declared in February 2008 that AFRICOM would be headquartered in Stuttgart for the "foreseeable future". In August 2007, Dr. Wafula Okumu, a research fellow at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, testified before the United States Congress about
5037-433: The summer of 2020, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper directed AFRICOM leadership to study a possible headquarters relocation outside of Germany after plans were announced that neighboring U.S. European Command would relocate to Belgium . On 20 November 2020 a new Army service component command (ASCC), U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) consolidated USAREUR and USARAAF. The U.S. Army Africa/Southern European Task Force
5110-694: The terms of Article II of the United States Constitution . Thereafter, the military CINCs would be known as "combatant commanders", as heads of the unified combatant commands. A sixth geographical unified command, United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), was approved and established in 2007 for Africa. It operated under U.S. European Command as a sub-unified command during its first year, and transitioned to independent Unified Command Status in October 2008. In 2009, it focused on synchronizing hundreds of activities inherited from three regional commands that previously coordinated U.S. military relations in Africa. President Donald Trump announced on 18 August 2017 that
5183-558: Was activated on 1 October 2008 and became fully operationally capable on 1 October 2009. SOCAFRICA is a Subordinate-Unified Command of United States Special Operations Command , operationally controlled by U.S. Africa Command, collocated with USAFRICOM at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart-Möhringen, Germany. Also on 1 October 2008, SOCAFRICA assumed responsibility for the Special Operations Command and Control Element – Horn of Africa, and on 15 May 2009, SOCAFRICA assumed responsibility for Joint Special Operations Task Force Trans – Sahara (JSOTF-TS) –
5256-466: Was created under the Commander in Chief, Atlantic (CINCLANT). Under the original plan, each of the unified commands operated with one of the service chiefs (the Chief of Staff of the Army or Air Force , or the Chief of Naval Operations ) serving as an executive agent representing the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This arrangement was formalized on 21 April 1948 as part of a policy paper titled the "Function of
5329-890: Was re-established on 29 August 2019. Each combatant command (CCMD) is headed by a four-star general or admiral (the CCDR) recommended by the Secretary of Defense, nominated for appointment by the President of the United States, confirmed by the Senate and commissioned, at the President's order, by the Secretary of Defense. The Goldwater–Nichols Act and its subsequent implementation legislation also resulted in specific Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) requirements for officers before they could attain flag or general officer rank thereby preparing them for duty in Joint assignments such as UCC staff or Joint Chiefs of Staff assignments, which are strictly controlled tour length rotations of duty. However, in
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