The establishment and implications of the United States Africa Command

The document analyzes the creation of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), which became fully operational on 1 October 2008. It argues that while the US intends to streamline military and diplomatic activities to address counter-terrorism and energy security, many Africans perceive it as a militarization of foreign policy. The paper details the shift from a fragmented command structure—where Africa was split between EUCOM, CENTCOM, and PACOM—to a unified command. It highlights the influence of Chinese economic and political growth in Africa as a driver for US strategic realignment. The author concludes that AFRICOM's effectiveness depends on the Obama administration's ability to prioritize diplomacy over brute force and avoid establishing permanent bases on African soil.

• Prior to AFRICOM, US military responsibility for Africa was disjointed, split between the United States European Command (EUCOM), the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), and the United States Pacific Command (PACOM), which often left African concerns as a secondary or tertiary priority.
• AFRICOM became a fully operational combatant command on 1 October 2008, covering all African states except Egypt, which remains under CENTCOM.
• China's rapid economic expansion in Africa, including trade exceeding US$70 billion and the acquisition of 30% of its oil from African sources, has pressured the US to revisit its trade and security relations with African states.
• AFRICOM's intended activities include providing military aid and training, supervising the Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa and the Pan-Sahel Initiative, and offering humanitarian assistance such as medical support and school building.
• There is a risk that AFRICOM could lead to the 'militarisation' of US foreign policy in Africa, potentially overshadowing civilian-led diplomacy from the Department of State and emboldening repressive regimes through blind military endorsement.
• The establishment of AFRICOM may trigger a reciprocal militarization of China's policy in Africa, potentially leading to a new Cold War-style geopolitical struggle for strategic prizes on the continent.
• The author suggests that the Obama administration should avoid building permanent military bases on African soil to prevent regional disruption and avoid depicting the US as unnecessarily aggressive.

APA

Mesfin, B. (2009). The establishment and implications of the United States Africa Command. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper183.pdf

Chicago

Mesfin, Berouk. The establishment and implications of the United States Africa Command. Institute for Security Studies, 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper183.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mesfin |first1=Berouk |title=The establishment and implications of the United States Africa Command |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=April 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper183.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mesfin2009establishment, author = {Mesfin, Berouk}, title = {{The establishment and implications of the United States Africa Command}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper183.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }