Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Seattle Times
February 20, 2008 By Todd Pitman, Associated Press
DAKAR, Senegal — The headquarters for the U.S. military's Africom regional command will remain in Germany rather than move to Africa, because of reservations among Africans over its creation, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The Defense Department created Africa Command last October to consolidate operations that had been split among three other regional commands, none of which had Africa as a primary focus.
Several African countries, including Libya, Nigeria and South Africa, have expressed reservations about the command, claiming it could signal an unwanted expansion of U.S. military influence or turn Africa into another battleground in the global war on terror groups.
During a visit to Egypt on Sunday, the Africom chief, Army Gen. William "Kip" Ward, said the U.S. had not yet asked any countries on the continent to host the headquarters. Liberia is the only country that has publicly offered to do so.
"We want to build the command and show people what it is and what it is not," Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the Stuttgart, Germany-based Africom, told The Associated Press. "When we are up and running fully, people will understand what it is and we can have discussions with sovereign governments whether it makes sense to do that in locations on the continent."
Africom officials emphasize there are no plans to build new U.S. military bases in Africa. In recent years, the U.S. has focused on improving security and preparing security forces to avoid future conflicts, preventing terrorist groups from gaining footholds and dealing with humanitarian disasters.
The U.S. has a growing reliance on oil from African nations, which suplly more than 24 percent of its crude — more than the Persian Gulf, at 20 percent.
February 20, 2008 By Todd Pitman, Associated Press
DAKAR, Senegal — The headquarters for the U.S. military's Africom regional command will remain in Germany rather than move to Africa, because of reservations among Africans over its creation, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The Defense Department created Africa Command last October to consolidate operations that had been split among three other regional commands, none of which had Africa as a primary focus.
Several African countries, including Libya, Nigeria and South Africa, have expressed reservations about the command, claiming it could signal an unwanted expansion of U.S. military influence or turn Africa into another battleground in the global war on terror groups.
During a visit to Egypt on Sunday, the Africom chief, Army Gen. William "Kip" Ward, said the U.S. had not yet asked any countries on the continent to host the headquarters. Liberia is the only country that has publicly offered to do so.
"We want to build the command and show people what it is and what it is not," Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the Stuttgart, Germany-based Africom, told The Associated Press. "When we are up and running fully, people will understand what it is and we can have discussions with sovereign governments whether it makes sense to do that in locations on the continent."
Africom officials emphasize there are no plans to build new U.S. military bases in Africa. In recent years, the U.S. has focused on improving security and preparing security forces to avoid future conflicts, preventing terrorist groups from gaining footholds and dealing with humanitarian disasters.
The U.S. has a growing reliance on oil from African nations, which suplly more than 24 percent of its crude — more than the Persian Gulf, at 20 percent.