1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.