Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The Pentagon's Africom Command Prepares To Confront Militant Threats In Africa

Militant Threats Test Role Of A Pentagon Command In Africa -- New York Times

NIAMEY, Niger — Created five years ago to focus on training the armed forces of dozens of African nations and strengthening social, political and economic programs, the Pentagon’s Africa Command now finds itself on a more urgent mission: confronting a new generation of Islamist militants who are testing the United States’ resolve to fight terrorism without being drawn into a major conflict.

Some military and Congressional critics question whether the command is up to dealing with its dual mission, and some influential lawmakers warn that Africom, with its headquarters in Germany, is understaffed and poorly financed for challenges that include countering Al Qaeda’s fighters in Mali, Islamic extremists in Libya, drug traffickers in West Africa and armed rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Read more ....

My Comment
: With a budget of only $300 million and with the command stationed in Germany .... Africom is clearly not up to the task of battling Al Qaeda and militant networks in the region. Africom clearly needs more resources, but in an era where severe defense budget cuts are about to occur coupled with no political or public will to expand U.S. military operations in places like Africa .... the Pentagon is going to be severely tested in the short term.

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