Department of Defense
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Now in its fifth year, U.S. Africa Command brings “markedly increased”
capabilities to its mission of defending U.S. interests and developing
regional militaries, the command’s leader told Congress today.
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Army Gen. Carter F.
Ham said both positive progress and emerging threats have this year
demonstrated Africa’s strategic importance to the United States and its
allies.
In prepared testimony, Carter said Africom staffs work
closely with the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International
Development to train African militaries and support development.
“Our integrated approach seeks to address the greatest near-term threats
to our national security while simultaneously building long-term
partnerships and fostering regional cooperation,” he said.
Ham
explained the command focuses on five major areas: countering violent
extremist organizations; strengthening maritime security and countering
illicit trafficking; strengthening defense capabilities; maintaining
strategic posture; and preparing for and responding to crises.
Countering terrorism is the command’s highest priority and will remain
so for some time, he added.
The general said three violent
extremist organizations are of particular concern in Africa: al-Qaida in
the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, active in northern and western Africa;
Boko Haram in Nigeria; and al-Shabaab in Somalia.
“The growing
collaboration of these organizations heightens the danger they
collectively represent,” he said. “Of the three organizations, AQIM,
which exploited the instability that followed the coup d’état in Mali
and seeks to establish an Islamic state in northern Mali, is currently
the most likely to directly threaten U.S. national security interests in
the near- term.”
Ham said Africom is aiding French and African
military operations against AQIM and other terrorist organizations in
northern Mali.
“We are supporting French efforts with
information, airlift, and refueling, and are working with the Department
of State to support the deployment of West African forces to the
African-led International Support Mission to Mali,” he said. “Recently,
we began unarmed, remotely piloted aircraft operations from Niger in
support of intelligence gathering efforts in the region.”
Ham
told committee members French, Malian, and AFISMA forces have driven
AQIM fighters from population centers, but eliminating the group as a
long-term threat will require restoring Malian governance and
territorial integrity, reconciling with northern indigenous groups and
establishing security.
Ham noted AQIM is not solely a Malian
challenge, but is spread across the Sahel region of north-central Africa
south of the Sahara Desert and requires a regional approach to
effectively address the threat. Africom, the State Department and USAID
work to support regional counter-terrorism efforts under the umbrella of
the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership, Ham added.
The
partnership involves 10 northern and western African nations and the
United States, he said, and aims to develop partner militaries’
counter-terrorism capabilities and build regional cooperation against
AQIM and related extremist groups.
In Nigeria, Africom is
partnering with Nigerian forces to counter Boko Haram’s campaign of
violent attacks focused in the northern part of the country, Ham said.
“If pressure on Boko Haram decreases, they could expand their
capabilities and reach to pose a more significant threat to U.S.
interests,” he cautioned.
The general said al-Shabaab has been
greatly weakened in Somalia by the operations of African Union Mission
in Somalia, Ethiopian and Somali forces.
“While al-Shabaab is
less effective, the group is still dangerous and capable of conducting
unconventional attacks to disrupt AMISOM operations and the newly formed
Somali government,” Ham said. Somalia is on a positive path, he added,
but warned that “focus must be maintained on Somalia to sustain security
progress made to date.”
Ham said he believes Africom’s efforts to counter violent extremist organizations are having a positive impact.
“Our African partners are demonstrating strengthened capabilities and
are increasingly cooperating with other nations to address shared
security challenges, including supporting African Union and United
Nations operations and programs,” he said. “The leadership of the
African Union and the Economic Community of West African States in
addressing the security challenges in Mali is indicative of the growing
willingness and capability of Africans to address African security
challenges.”
The African continent presents a complex and fluid set of challenges and opportunities, Ham concluded.
“At U.S. Africa Command, we will continue to engage with our African
partner militaries to strengthen their skills and capabilities, so they
are better able to address shared security concerns and are able to
contribute to regional stability and security,” he said.