December 21, 2012
The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) is the youngest of the six American Unified Combatant Commands, which divide the world into different areas of responsibility for the United States military. As the name suggests, it deals with the American military operations on the African continent, even though its headquarters are situated in Germany. The main aim of the command is to handle humanitarian aid operations, disaster management and crisis-reactions.
AFRICOM's Commander General Carter Ham announced on 18 December that the African Command would receive a rapid reaction force in the future. |
Over the past few months, the United
States has attracted attention by its announcement to increase military
activities in Asia, particularly around the South China Sea, which is claimed
by different bordering countries. However, the United States do also have a
growing interest in the African continent. According to estimations of an
American think-tank, the United States will obtain one quarter of their oil
demand from the African country. The resource-gathering rivalry between the
western superpower and its eastern counterpart, China, on the continent is an
open secret.
However, AFRICOM’s focus has
somewhat shifted; it was reported that US forces have been increasingly
focusing on the rising danger of terrorism on the continent, especially in
Mali, where Islamic extremists close to the Al-Qaeda terror group have seized
northern key cities. Many have warned that the area might develop into a new
international hub for terrorist activity. Together with West African nations,
the USA and France plan to start a military operation to drive out the radical
Islamist forces. The United States have announced that they would back such an
intervention with aerial support. Even though a formal resolution of the United
Nations Security Council is still due, military and civil authorities have
reportedly started with the planning of an African-led international troop in
the deserted North of the country.
One of AFRICOM’s main operation
areas is the Horn of Africa in the east of the continent. The coast of Somalia,
which has been described as a failed state by the US, is partly under the
control of pirates, who make money by kidnapping foreign ships in the waters
around Somalia and demanding ransoms. As part of the “Operation Enduring
Freedom,” the United States, together with other nations of the international
community, patrol the regions’ waters and try to enable shipping traffic on the
highly important route, which also leads to the Suez Canal.
The United States’ influence on the
African continent seems rather low when compared to their power in other areas
of the world. In the wake of the deadly attacks against the American embassy in
Libya, AFRICOM’s commander General Carter Ham announced on 18 December that the
African Command would receive a rapid reaction force in the future. Until then,
AFRICOM had relied on an “arrangement with what’s called the Commander’s
in-Extremis Force with European Command.” The new special force will allow the
United States army to react faster on potential threats on the African
continent. It is not clear where the team will be situated, but considering the
low American military presence in Africa, it seems possible that the newly
created force will rotate its location.
The attack on the embassy in
Benghazi has, in general, shaken up the United States of America. Many people
asked themselves how the American ambassador was able to be killed, and pointed
to the lack of American military presence in the region. In combination with
the increasing Islamist influence, especially in the northern half and in the
east, it is not unlikely that the United States might increase their engagement
in the future.
Fabian Scherer
f.scherer@politicalanalysis.co.za
No comments:
Post a Comment