US Africa Command …AFRICOM Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I’m XXX XXXX of the Africa Command Transition Team, and I’m here to present to you an informational brief on the United States’ Department of Defense’s newest Unified and Joint HQ Command: the U.S. Africa Command.

Presidential Direction President Bush directed the establishment of US Africa Command – 7 Feb 07 Interim establishment in Stuttgart, Germany Interim Operating Capability – 1 Oct 07 Full Operating Capability – 1 Oct 08 This new command will strengthen our security cooperation with Africa and help to create new opportunities to bolster the capabilities of our partners in Africa. Africa Command will enhance our efforts to help bring peace and security to the people of Africa and promote our common goals of development, health, education, democracy, and economic growth in Africa. President George Bush February 7, 2007

SECDEF Direction Organic capacity for non-kinetic and limited military missions Humanitarian Assistance, Disaster Relief, Medical Assistance, Security Cooperation, Capacity Building, etc. Primarily oriented toward Theater Security Cooperation Capable of limited military operations (GWOT, Special Ops, NEO) Requires external support for large missions AFRICOM will be Sub-unified at IOC; Unified Command at FOC Four-Star Commander and other GO/FO nominations by 30 Jun 07 CDRUSAFRICOM in place prior to IOC Final location of AFRICOM HQ TBD Possibly co-located with a DoS Regional Hub Working toward an early May JS Tank session for update

USAFRICOM Concept U.S. Africa Command will support U.S. Government activities across Africa to: Synchronize selected US Interagency efforts Reinforce diplomatic and developmental efforts Consolidate Africa responsibilities of three commands into one Goal is significant interagency representation from the beginning So, the fundamental concept can be summarized in three main areas: The first is to support U.S. government activities across Africa, integrate Interagency efforts, and support diplomacy and development efforts. The second is to create Department of Defense efficiencies by consolidating the responsibilities of three geographic commands into a new and separate unified command. The third is to build a command from the ground up that is fundamentally different from the other geographic commands by integrating the Interagency into the organizational and command structure at the very beginning, rather than an ad hoc basis.

AFRICOM Status Transition team established 1 Feb 07 at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany to focus on development and activation of the Command Transition responsibilities to USAFRICOM: Develop USAFRICOM personnel and resources Define mission and mission requirements Refine Command organization and structure Recommend possible USAFRICOM HQ locations on the continent Consultations with key friends, partners and allies African partners European partners US government interagency

Proposed Area of Responsibility USEUCOM USCENTCOM USSOUTHCOM USNORTHCOM USPACOM Today At Full Operational Capability USAFRICOM AFRICA TRANSITION TEAM COMMAND UNCLASSIFIED Proposed Area of Responsibility 1 Oct 08

AFRICOM Tasks Work with African states, regional organizations, and other partners to: Build Partnership Capacity Support USG agencies in implementing security policies Conduct Theater Security Cooperation activities Increase partner counter-terrorism skills Enhance humanitarian assistance, disaster mitigation, and response activities Foster respect for human rights Support African regional organizations As directed, conduct military operations This slide lays out some major tasks that we envision for Africa Command. The key is the first sentence that says we really want to work WITH the African states, regional organizations, and other international and non-governmental partners. Key tasks include, but are not limited to: Building partnership capacity, by training and equipping Africans in such skills as peacekeeping and humanitarian operations to deal internally with African problems, and then ideally, for them to be able to join other organizations, such as the U.N. in other places around the world. Enhance humanitarian assistance activities and disaster mitigation by supporting U.S. government agencies through security cooperation activities, such as military-to-military exchanges, training exercises, and military HIV/AIDS prevention programs, where U.S. military provides training and education to reduce the spread of AIDS in military units. Support the professional development of military institutions through the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program, whereby African officers and non-commissioned officers receive training and education at U.S. military institutions or by U.S. military instructors.

What does AFRICOM require from Open Source Information? 1 – Inform the Common Operating Picture for the Command 2 – Enable AFRICOM to build informational products that we can easily share with our allies and partners 3 – Allow AFRICOM to constantly measure popular perceptions through media analysis and polling 4 – Empower analysts with the resources and tools to leverage the all forms of OSINT available

AFRICOM’s Information Challenges AFRICOM missions demand teamwork with allies and partners Information is critical for success of any mission and successful partnership requires releasable information shared among the partners In Africa, much of this data – demographic, medical, economic, historical, political, agricultural, environmental – exists in unclassified sources How does AFRICOM optimize Open Source? Rely upon enduring bonds with the Intelligence Community – liaison and exchange offices Develop expert cadre of open source researchers Build a culture that values open source Create products and processes that we can share with allies and partners Explore new opportunities for OSINT partnerships

Conclusion Establishing USAFRICOM recognizes the strategic importance of Africa Goal is innovative interagency structure Emphasis on building partnership capacity to strengthen security & stability Open Source Intelligence will play a critical role In conclusion, the establishment of U.S. Africa Command, and the commensurate allocation of U.S. government resources recognizes the strategic importance of Africa to the long-term stability and security of future generations. The HQ structure we’re developing is intended to bring together disparate functions and activities across the Interagency, so that the military can better understand and support their efforts on the continent. The ultimate emphasis is on working with Africans in a partnership arrangement to help them do the things they want to do for themselves, to enhance security and stability to promote and spur economic development, to provide hope and a better life for all peoples on the continent.