The US African Command (AFRICOM) keeps trying to redefine itself, but as the Obama Administration aims to refocus more and more on involvement in Africa, the plan now seems to be training.
“Our goal is to help Africans solve African problems,” insisted Lt. Col Robert Magee, and they are playing up the idea of training as an alternative to deployments of ground troops.
Then there’s the ground troops. The US has been launching a massive build-up of troops into Italy, putting 13,000 troops in the nation to be able to launch raids into Africa, particularly northern Africa, at a moment’s notice.
That’s been AFRICOM’s history all over. While the command has long sought to do its own heavily lifting militarily, the practical matter is that it has been the PR cover for military aggression in the region.
