General Reassures Africans on AFRICOM

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General Reassures Africans on AFRICOM
October 02, 2008
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The commander of a new U.S. military regional command focused on Africa said he believes distrust of U.S. motives on the continent will fade as it becomes clear that the creation of Africa Command does not represent a change in the United States' foreign policy.

Army Gen. William "Kip" Ward, speaking to reporters after a Pentagon ceremony at which his command was formally activated, said Africa Command is designed to promote U.S. security cooperation with African nations and to help those countries improve their ability to provide their own defenses.

Ward said he has sought to dispel a "myth of great changes" arriving with the activation of AFRICOM. He called it a misperception that has "frightened some people" who believe the United States is taking a greater military interest in Africa in order to advance a self-interested agenda.

"We are always working as best we can to explain what we're doing," he said. "More significantly, our programs demonstrate what we're doing. And as that becomes more and more apparent, it goes back to: We don't see things different, we don't see invading" African countries or establishing new military bases on the continent. He predicted "a greater receptivity" to the U.S. presence over time.

No U.S. military forces are assigned to Africa Command, other than the roughly 1,800 troops in Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, based in Djibouti, and a much smaller contingent associated with a program known as the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Initiative. AFRICOM's headquarters is in Stuttgart, Germany.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/general-reassures-africans-on-africcom.html?col=1186032310810