The day many critics have been dreading for the past year has finally dawned as the new US Africa Command (AFRICOM) becomes operational on 1 October 2008.

Not surprisingly, the continent has not been invaded by a large contingent of US Special Forces who are on a mission of world domination (not yet the staunchest opponents of this initiative will likely hasten to point out!)

A further misconception that needs to dispelled is that this will not be the first time the US will be involved militarily on the African continent - in fact the US has been engaged on many levels in and around the continent with military training and capacity-building exercises across Africa, particularly in the North, West and East regions.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for African Affairs Theresa Whalen (who probably has had the most difficult assignment in her entire tenure) said in a statement released on the eve of the launch of AFRICOM that the command will be the most visible element of the US goal to strengthen ties with Africa through sustained security engagement and military-to-military cooperation (2).

AFRICOM's main focus will be to build up the capacity of partner nations' land and marine forces so they can cooperate to address emerging regional challenges ranging from disaster response to counterterrorism to conflict prevention. In this arena Africa could benefit vastly from AFRICOM, given a lack of capacity to ensure an effective and timely response to conflicts on the continent. Training from the US military could also be potentially beneficial in developing effective and functioning early warning mechanisms to identify and prevent conflicts before they erupt.

Defence planners have pointed to AFRICOM's ability to provide effective peacekeeping training and technical support for the Africa Union's African Standby Force, which is developing a peacekeeping brigade for each of five regions of the continent. Whalen said this effort dovetails well with the US objective to help African nations provide their own security.

While many African states fear the imminent construction of US military bases across the entire continent, it is highly doubtful that the US at this point in time will seek the construction of a large, permanent military base in Africa given budgetary constraints and the fact that the US is in the throes of a potentially devastating economic crisis. Here the dictum ‘country first’ springs to mind…

AFRICOM will however be a unique command with a unique opportunity to change negative perceptions about the US military - an opportunity it should not miss!

What distinguishes the command is that it will consist of both a deputy charged with military operations and a deputy charged with undertaking civil-military activities, and in this sense it will not be a purely military command as such.

As D-Day has finally arrived the AFRICOM defence planners should take heed of the following critical issues:

• Maintaining strong civil-military relations will be instrumental to the successful achievement of all AFRICOM’s intended missions - this will be the critical determinant in whether the US will be building bridges of friendship on the African continent or burning them beyond repair
• Regular and frequent consultations with African Governments will be crucial to ensure cooperation and therefore the command’s public diplomacy machinery will have to operate above capacity
• The command should first and foremost be actively engaged in humanitarian operations and strengthening African states’ capacity to respond to emergencies. The command should therefore act as a guarantor of African security - not a potential threat to it
• The command should also play an active role in assisting African states combat the problem of ‘ungoverned spaces’- which serve as a conduit for the trafficking of drugs, the proliferation of arms, human trafficking, the spread of transnational terrorism and crime. AFRICOM can play a particularly valuable role in assisting African states in bolstering their capabilities to effectively police and safeguard often porous and unguarded borders.

While many African states remain wary of engaging with the US on military matters it is furthermore crucial to remember that within less than 2 months a new Commander-In-Chief will be at the helm of the US military - and whether it be an Obama or a McCain Administration, either President will likely have a different approach to its foreign policy towards the African continent and the manner in which AFRICOM will play a role in support of this.

NOTES:

(1) Gerrie Swart is Head Researcher: Conflict & Terrorism Unit. He is also a lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences, University of South Africa, and a Research Associate with the Centre for International Political Studies, University of Pretoria (gerrie.swart@consultancyafrica.com).