Pentagon says AFRICOM will be ready for full operations October 1

The U.S. Defense Department says it is committed to launching its new Africa Command on time in October, and with the same capabilities as other major U.S. military commands. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Theresa Whelan made the comment in a VOA interview. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

The Defense Department's top Africa official says Africa Command, which has been operating in a preparation phase for eight months, will be ready to take responsibility for all U.S. military engagement with the continent on schedule.

"We are confident that by 1 October AFRICOM will be enabled, and will be able to carry out the existing missions of the current combatant commands that are responsible for Africa. And the leadership here in the Pentagon is very committed to doing whatever it takes to make that a reality," she said.

Full VOA story here.

Some reading to begin the week ...

Here are some items of general interest that we have found or have brought to our attention by readers. Thank you!

• The Birth of the Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell (Small Wars Journal, pdf)
• Forces see spike in IEDs in April (USA Today)
• Developments in Zimbabwe including Chinese arms shipment returning home ( New York Times)
• A look at Empire Challenge 2008 (Military Geospatial Technology)
• Loopholes keep Windows XP alive (BBC)

Sources: As cited

Engineers in Africa

"Guinea worm parasites lurk in natural ponds waiting to be thirstily gulped down by anyone baking in a dusty 35C African heat.

Once inside the body, the worm takes about a year to grow to a metre in length before it breaks through the skin of the lower leg. There’s no treatment so the victim must endure a painful couple of months gently twisting the worm around a stick until it’s completely removed."

The solution? Clean water. Read the story of British Sappers in Ghana here.

Sunday reading ...

Thanks for your suggestions. Keep them coming. The following are links to stories our readers may have missed but could find interesting ...

"... the 44th chief executive will lead a nation that has - over the past seven years - seen its military stretched taut, its finances depleted, its credibility diminished, and its reserves of international popularity scattered like grains of sand in a desert wind." Ten rules for No. 44, Madeleine K. Albright in the Boston Globe.

"I only sometimes carry my rifle on trips like this, most of the time I just bring my pistol..." "Crazy thoughts just a year ago." Christian Lowe returns to Iraq. The Sunday Paper (Shopping Insert)

"Professional Celebrity Rock Music Band, group not to exceed seven people for tour of FOB's [forward operating bases] in Kuwait and Afghanistan for February 4-13 2008." Noah Shachtman in Danger Room.

"United Nations Security Council heavyweights China and Russia quash statement compelling Sudanese authorities to cooperate with the ICC." Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Sources: As cited.
Photo: U.S. Dept. of State

The "What ever happened to ..." Department

What ever happened to Admiral Tim Ziemer? Well, in June 2006 he was selected to head the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). The PMI is a $1.2 billion, five-year program to combat malaria in Africa. Steven Phillips has written an interesting account of meeting up with the Admiral in Mali.

"It's no secret to anyone who has spent time with the Admiral that he's a hands-on type of guy. A former Navy pilot, submarine hunter, and commandant of the Newport shipyard (the Navy's largest port facility in the world) Tim is simply locked in on getting the job done." The full story is here.

Sources: As cited.
Photo: The White House

Intro to AFRICOM

The Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy recently posted a Congressional Research Service report on the new Africa Command.

Little has been written on on DoD's AFRICOM. Someone who should be a regular read, Catherine McRae Hockmuth, asks "Why is DOD struggling to fill civilian interagency jobs at U.S. Africom? A shortage of Africa expertise? A military and diplomatic corps stretched thin by war? Or something else such as outright skepticism about the role of the military in Africa?" Check out her story at Ares.

Sources: CRS Report and Ares

Darfur mission 'behind schedule'

According to the BBC the AU / UN force will begin its mission with only a third of the 26,000 troops initially pledged. Force commander General Martin Luther Agwai, also said he has not received a required 24 helicopters.

As expected, there have also been problems with the Sudanese government which refuses to allow in troops from non-African countries. It also wants advance notice of AU / UN troop movements and the ability to pull the plug on communications.

Source: BBC

General Agwai would appear to be the perfect person to lead this mission. Aside from being a graduate of the Nigerian Command and Staff College, he attended the British Army Staff College, Camberley, United States Army Armour School and United States Defence University where he obtained an MSc in National Resource Strategy. He was Deputy Military Advisor - UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (Nov 2002 - Jun 2003) and Deputy Force Commander - UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) (Nov 2000 - Nov 2002).

All of this being said, there will be no AU / UN miracle in Sudan. The situation has been relatively ignored by the international community. There are now more than two million people living as refugees. Most are in camps vulnerable to attack. Agwai will need all his resourcefulness to provide security to the camps and their extended supply routes. On one hand he is dealing with an unsympathetic, at the very least, government. On the other, inadequate resources to establish his peace keepers as a true force.