The U.S. Military in Africa

Just as I was writing about the saga of Sheikh Aweys and the infighting within al-Shabaab, two accounts of the growing U.S. military mission in Africa happened to appear. (Okay, given that President Obama was in Africa for the past week, these articles are pretty far from a coincidence). James Kitfield of the National Journal focuses on the counterterrorism aspect of AFRICOM’s mission, whereas Reuters’ account focuses on the use of broader training missions such as clearing landmines and anti-piracy patrols to win influence in a rising Africa (particularly vis-à-vis China) in addition to the effort to counter al-Qa’ida and other militant groups.

Although Major General H.R. McMaster has warned against over-reliance on SOF raiders and proxy forces, I think Africa is the perfect theater in which to test such a model. Although the continent has been experiencing both an economic boom of late and a rise in jihadist activity, the United States has few vital strategic interests there. Consequently, what better place to see whether John Nagl’s idea for an Army Advisory Corps could build partnership capacity on a national scale, or whether al-Qa’ida affiliates can be defeated through a combination of decapitation strikes and SOF conducting FID missions, possibly supported by broader civil affairs operations?