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AFRICAN SECURITY CHALLENGES
 AND THE AFRICOM VISION

By Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Theresa Whelan
February 15, 2008
Joaquim Chissano Conference Center, Maputo
Hosted by the Center for International Strategic Studies (CEEI)

Director of the Center for International Strategic Studies, Dr. Belmiro Rodolfo;
Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Todd Chapman;
Distinguished Ambassadors and Defense Attachés from the diplomatic corps;
Members of academia;
Members of the media;
Other distinguished guests,

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR INVITING ME TO BE HERE TODAY AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK IN PARTICULAR OUR HOSTS, THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC STUDIES AND THE HIGHER INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN RELATIONS.  THIS IS AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DSICUSS VERY IMPORTANT  TOPICS OF MUTUAL INTEREST TO AFRICA AND THE UNITED STATES.

I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED – IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER – IN AFRICAN AFFAIRS FOR OVER TWO DECADES – AND OUTSIDE OF VARIOUS TIMES OF CRISIS (I.E., SOMALIA, RWANDA, LIBERIA, ETC.) I DO NOT RECALL WHEN AFRICA HAD MORE PROMINENCE ON OUR GENERAL STRATEGIC AGENDA THAN IT DOES TODAY.

THE STAND-UP OF OUR NEW UNIFIED COMMAND FOR AFRICA (AFRICOM) FUNDAMENTALLY REPRESENTS THE BEGINNING OF A MORE “NETCENTRIC” APPROACH TO THE MANY SECURITY CHALLENGES WE FACE IN AFRICA. 

IN ESSENCE, WHAT WE ARE SEEKING TO DO IS CREATE AN EVOLUTIONARY, ADAPTABLE COMMAND COMPRISED OF A MORE COMPLEX COMMUNITY OF CIVIL-MILITARY EXPERTS.   THIS IS TURN SHOULD POSITION THE COMMAND TO BETTER OPTIMIZE ITS RESOURCES THROUGH A MORE COMPREHENSIVE EXPLOITATION OF INFORMATION AND COORDINATION WITHIN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS  IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR FRIENDS AND ALLIES IN EUROPE AND AFRICA.

BUT IN ORDER TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE TRYING TO GO WITH THIS NEW COMMAND AND WHY, IT’S PROBABLY USEFUL TO BRIEFLY REVIEW WHERE WE’VE BEEN.

“THE OLD ORDER”
THE DIVISION OF AFRICA AMONG THREE COMMANDS (EUROPEAN COMMAND - EUCOM, CENTRAL COMMAND - CENTCOM AND PACIFIC COMMAND - PACOM) WAS DRIVEN BY HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, AND GEOPOLITICAL FACTORS.  BUT IT ALSO CREATED A CONFUSING SET-UP BY WHICH THE CONTINENT FELL UNDER THREE DIFFERENT LEADERSHIPS WITHIN OUR DEFENSE STRUCTURE.
ORIGINALLY, THE ONLY PART OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT THAT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FELT REQUIRED TO INCLUDE IN ITS UNIFIED COMMAND STRUCTURE WAS  NORTH AFRICA (MOROCCO, ALGERIA, TUNISIA AND LIBYA), AND THOSE COUNTRIES WERE ASSIGNED TO THE EUROPEAN COMMAND.
AS THE COLD WAR GREW IN COMPLEXITY AND THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION MANEUVERED FOR INFLUENCE AMONG THE NEWLY INDEPENDENT AFRICAN STATES, WE REVISED THE UNIFIED COMMAND IN 1960 TO INCLUDE SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT INCLUDED FULLY.
SO FOR SEVERAL DECADES, AFRICA WAS, FRANKLY, NOT A HIGH PRIORITY FOR OUR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.  ONLY IN 1983, AT THE PEAK OF THE COLD WAR, DID SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA REALLY GAIN OUR ATTENTION, AND OUR U.S. MILITARY COMMANDES WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH AFRICA’S SECURITY FORCES AND STRUCTURES – ALTHOUGH THE CONTINENT WAS WORKING WITH THREE DIFFERENT U.S. MILITARY COMMANDS.
CHANGING PARADIGMS
WITH THE END OF THE COLD WAR, THE STRATEGIC PARADIGM WE HAD BEEN USING FOR NEARLY FIFTY YEARS TO UNDERSTAND AND RESPOND TO THE GLOBAL SECURITY ENVIRONMENT GRADUALLY BECAME LESS AND LESS RELEVANT.  NO PLACE WAS THIS MORE APPARENT THAN IN AFRICA.

IN THE ABSENCE OF THE COLD WAR, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY MAKERS IN THE 1990S STRUGGLED TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHERE AND HOW AFRICA FIT IN THE SECURITY CONTEXT.  THE INITIAL ANSWER WAS THAT AFRICA’S SECURITY CHALLENGES MANIFESTED NO DIRECT THREAT TO THE U.S. MILITARILY OR ECONOMICALLY; WE HAVE HAD GOOD RELATIONS WITH AFRICA’S VARIOUS MILITARIES. SO OUR FOCUS WAS MORE HUMANITARIAN THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
AS WE WERE CONTEMPLATING THESE IDEAS AND DECIDING HOW TO MOVE FORWARD IN REGARDS TO OUR SECURITY RELATIONSHIP WITH AFRICA, THE HORRIBLE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH TOOK PLACE AND MADE US RE-EXAMINE MANY THINGS.  WE REALIZED THAT THIS IS A WORLD IN WHICH CATASTROPHIC THREATS TO A NATION-STATE’S SECURITY ARE NOT SIMPLY CONFINED TO RIVAL NATION-STATES WITH THE CAPACITY TO BUILD LARGE SOPHISTICATED CONVENTIONAL MILITARIES WITH THE MEANS TO DELIVER WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.  RATHER, SUCH THREATS COULD COME FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, INCLUDING FROM AMONG THE POOREST, LEAST DEVELOPED AND LEAST SECURE COUNTRIES ON THE PLANET.
 AND SO AFRICA WOULD BE INTEGRAL, NOT PERIPHERAL, TO GLOBAL SECURITY IN GENERAL AND U.S. SECURITY IN PARTICULAR, IN A POST 9/11 WORLD.  WHILE HUMANITARIAN INTERESTS IN AFRICA MUST ALWAYS HOLD AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN EVERYTHING WE DO, INCLUDING MILITARY AFFAIRS, AFRICAN SECURITY ISSUES CAN NO LONGER BE VIEWED AS ONLY A HUMANITARIAN CONCERN.
THE AFRICOM VISION

SO HOW DOES THIS ALL RELATE TO THE THINKING AND VISION BEHIND AFRICOM? 
SECURITY AND STABILITY IN AFRICA ARE NOT MERELY A FUNCTION OF DEVELOPING COMPETENT MILITARY AND POLICE FORCES.  EXPERIENCES IN AFRICA AND THE BALKANS IN THE 1990S AND IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS HAVE MADE CLEAR THAT THOSE TOOLS ONLY PROVIDE SECURITY AND STABILITY ON A TEMPORARY BASIS.   SUSTAINABLE SECURITY AND STABILITY ARE DEPENDENT ON GOOD GOVERNANCE, THE RULE OF LAW AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY.  THOSE ELEMENTS OF SECURITY, IN TURN, HAVE A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH SUCH THINGS AS HEALTH AND EDUCATION.  IF A SECURE AND STABLE AFRICA IS IN U.S. NATIONAL INTEREST, THEN WE ARE GOING TO NEED TO TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE. 

SIMPLY PUT, A BALANCE MUST BE STRUCK BETWEEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, NATIONAL SECURITY, JUSTICE AND LAW, AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AND CIVIL SOCIETY.  IN OTHER WORDS, THE MEANS BY WHICH WE SUCCESSFULLY REDUCE UNGOVERNED SPACE IS NOT STRICTLY A MILITARY ENDEAVOR. 
MORE AND IMPROVED COORDINATION NEEDS TO OCCUR AMONG ALL OUR U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES OVERSEAS – FOR EXAMPLE, HERE IN MOZAMBIQUE, WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES NOT ONLY FROM MY DEPARTMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND OUR FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, BUT ALSO THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT; THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION; THE PEACE CORPS; AND THE MILLENNIUM CHALLENCE CORPORATION.  WHEN WE ALL WORK TOGETHER, WE CAN MOVE THE MULTITUDE OF CAPACITY-BUILDING PROGRAMS IN A MORE COORDINATED, AND HOPEFULLY MORE EFFECTIVE AND MORE SUSTAINABLE MANNER.
IT WAS IN THIS CONTEXT THAT FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE RUMSFELD ASKED HIS MILITARY AND CIVILIAN STAFF TO RE-EXAMINE THE MERITS AND FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A STAND-ALONE UNIFIED COMMAND FOCUSED EXCLUSIVELY ON AFRICA.  AFRICAN PARTNERS WERE ALSO CONSULTED TO MAKE SURE THAT ENSUING DECISIONS WOULD BE APPROPRIATE IN THE AFRICAN CONTEXT.

THE DECISION TO CREATE AN “AFRICOM”, TO CONSOLIDATE OUR DEFENSE RELATIONS WITH THE ENTIRE CONTINENT OF AFRICA UNDER ONE COMMAND MAKES SENSE FOR SEVERAL REASONS:
 FIRST:  THE PREVIOUS  ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE RELEGATED AFRICAN SECURITY CHALLENGES TO A SECONDARY CONSIDERATION;
 SECOND, SINCE AFRICA WAS NOT A TOP PRIORITY FOR ANY OF THE COMMANDS, THEY WOULD NOT DEEM IT A PRIORITY TO DEVELOP A LARGE BODY OF PERSONNEL WITH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE ON AFRICA.
 THIRD : THE “SEAMS” BETWEEN THE THREE COMMANDS CREATED MAJOR BUREAUCRATIC BARRIERS TO ACHIEVING OUR OBJECTIVES. 
 LASTLY: THE SEAMS MADE IT HARD TO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH THE AFRICAN UNION’S AMBITIOUS PROGRAM FOR A CONTINENT-WIDE MULTI-LATERAL SECURITY ARCHITECTURE AND EMERGING AFRICAN STAND-BY BRIGADE STRUCTURES.
OUR CURRENT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, ROBERT GATES, HAS  SINCE EMBRACED THE EFFORT,  AS WELL AS THE RESULTS OF THE INTERAGENCY STUDY TEAM’S WORK AS HE PUT IT:  TO ESTABLISH A PREVENTATIVELY FOCUSED, MORE INTEGRATED COMMAND, BETTER POSITIONED TO WORK WITH OUR INTERAGENCY COUNTERPARTS IN BUILDING AFRICAN CAPACITIES TO REDUCE CONFLICT, IMPROVE SECURITY, DENY TERRORISTS SANCTUARY AND SUPPORT CRISIS RESPONSE. 

IN ORDER TO DO THIS, THE TRADITIONAL MILITARY ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE DESIGNED FOR COMBAT OPERATIONS WOULD NEED TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED TO INCORPORATE AN INTEGRATED CIVILIAN/MILITARY ARCHITECTURE THAT WOULD EMPHASIZE AND FACILITATE OJECTIVES SUCH AS MILITARY CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING, SECURITY SECTOR REFORM AND MILITARY PROFESSIONALIZATION --  AS WELL AS SUPPORT TO THE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE, DISASTER RELIEF AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE EFFORTS IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES LIKE THE ONES I MENTIONED THAT ARE PART OF OUR MISSION HERE IN MOZAMBIQUE.  AND INDEED, MOZAMBIQUE IS A GOOD EXAMPLE ON THIS POINT: OUR DEFENSE ATTACHE’S OFFICE AT THE EMBASSY WORKS HAND-IN-HAND WITH USAID AND CDC ON HELPING THE MOZAMBICAN GOVERNMENT COMBAT HIV/AIDS THROUGH “PEPFAR”, THE PRESIDENT’S EMERGENCY PLAN FOR AIDS RELIEF. 
IN MANY WAYS, THE CREATION OF AFRICOM HAS PROVIDED AN HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO “CATCH-UP” WITH AFRICA’S QUICKLY EVOLVING CONTINENTAL AND REGIONAL SECURITY ARCHITECTURES AND THEIR INCREASING CAPACITIES TO SYNERGIZE AFRICAN EFFORTS IN BOTH THE GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL SPHERES TO ADDRESS SECURITY CHALLENGES ALL OVER THE CONTINENT.  IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO STRENGTHEN AND EXPAND U.S. AND AFRICAN RELATIONSHIPS IN SUCH A WAY THAT OUR COMBINED EFFORTS CAN HELP GENERATE A LASTING PEACE AND STABILITY ON THE CONTINENT.   

IN FACT, IN ADDITION TO ESTABLISHING OUR OWN GOVERNMENT’S EXPERTISE WITHIN THE COMMAND STRUCTURE OF AFRICOM, WE WILL BE REACHING OUT TO OUR AFRICAN AND EUROPEAN FRIENDS TO EMBED FUNCTIONAL POSITIONS WITHIN THE COMMAND.  ALL OF THIS, IN AN EFFORT TO CREATE A MORE NETCENTRIC CAPABILITY TO IDENTIFY AND EXPLOIT INFORMATION, EARLIER RATHER THAN LATER, SO THAT OUR MISSION PLANNING AND EXECUTION CAN BENEFIT FROM A MORE HOLISTIC, MORE COORDINATED AND BETTER SYNCHRONIZED OR SEQUENCED APPROACH. 
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT EMBEDDING BOTH INTERAGENCY AND EVEN EUROPEAN AND AFRICAN ELEMENTS WITHIN THE COMMAND WILL POSE CHALLENGES.  BUT THE BENEFITS OF COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION FAR OUTWEIGH THE CHALLENGES THAT LIE AHEAD.
THE SECURITY CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY REQUIRE THAT AFRICA BE AN INTEGRAL, NOT PERIPHERAL, ELEMENT OF THAT WORLD IN A SECURITY CONTEXT, AS WELL AS IN POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXTS. 

ARICAN COUNTRIES SHOULD BE PARTNERS IN THE JOURNEY, AS THIS JOURNEY WILL ONLY BE SUCCESSFUL IF WE SHARE THE ROAD AND HELP EACH OTHER ALONG THE WAY.  AFRICOM IS A CONCRETE MANIFESTATION OF OUR COMMITMENT TO TAKING A MORE HOLISTIC, OR NETCENTRIC, APPROACH TO MANAGING SECURITY CHALLENGES AND TO ESTABLISH A SERIOUS LONG TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH AFRICAN NATIONS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT PRESENT CHALLENGES TO OUR MUTUAL SECURITY INTERESTS IN THIS NEW CENTURY.   

THANK YOU.