The Trump administration is making changes to U.S. policy toward Africa. These changes — including dissolving the U.S. Agency for International Development and its programs in Africa — have direct and indirect impacts on U.S. Africa Command. The administration’s foreign policy, combined with shifting security challenges in Africa, are reigniting debate about whether the United States needs a military command devoted to Africa and how it should be organized. We asked four experts: Should the United States maintain Africa Command as a separate command, dismantle it, or do something else?Read more below.Michael Rubin Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise InstituteThe Defense Department can no longer afford to treat Africa Command as an afterthought. The distance between the U.S. East Coast and Africa is only 3,500 miles — closer than between China and Hawaii. Not only do China and Russia treat Africa as a strategic battlefield, but they also recognize that the continent’s rare earths, minerals, and oil could make it the epicenter of the 21st century economy. Bolstering Africa Command will enhance other regional commands.The Pentagon should do more: It should base Africa Command in Africa. With China’s first overseas base in Djibouti, presence and commitment matters. Africa Command can balance regional jealousies just as European Command, Central Command, and Indo-Pacific Command do. Olmstead Scholarships — the Rhodes Scholarship of the military — should go disproportionately to those studying African languages and in African staff colleges. Swahili and Hausa will matter more than Dutch or German in the coming century.Maureen Farrell Vice President for Global Partnerships at Valar Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African AffairsThe Department of Defense should retain Africa Command but press for greater efficiencies and return on the taxpayer’s investment from our defense relationships in Africa — aligning efforts around
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The Trump administration is making changes to U.S. policy toward Africa. These changes — including dissolving the U.S. Agency for International Development and its programs in Africa — have direct and indirect impacts on U.S. Africa Command. The administration’s foreign policy, combined with shifting security challenges in Africa, are reigniting debate about whether the United States needs a military command devoted to Africa and how it should be organized. We asked four experts: Should the United States maintain Africa Command as a separate command, dismantle it, or do something else?Read more below.Michael Rubin Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise InstituteThe
