Les Oberg

Africom: Can America's Newest Combatant Command Stabilize Africa Using a Strategy of Sunshine and Love? Les Oberg

Publisher Marketing: United States Africa Command AFRICOM promises to be a different kind of command that will take a non-traditional approach to solving African problems and achieving U. S. objectives on the continent. This unique mission includes a multi-agency and multi-organization approach. AFRICOM has incorporated within its ranks representatives from other US government agencies as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). And, as it sets out to achieve its goals of security and stability, AFRICOM will attempt to use non-kinetic means. It will focus on security, stability, and conflict-prevention. To achieve these objectives AFRICOM plans to utilize security cooperation, crisis response, humanitarian assistance and civil-military affairs projects as its weapons of choice. In essence this "sunshine and love" policy is an extension of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) model, but is it an effective strategy for AFRICOM to us throughout the continent? CJTF-HOA was established to combat terrorism though promoting regional cooperation, good governance, stability, and development. This non-traditional military mission was intended to counter extremism and militant Islamism by preventing safe havens for terrorists and promoting US goodwill through civil military affairs projects. In order to assess the CJTF-HOA model as a strategy for AFRICOM, this paper looked at common critiques of military intervention in humanitarian affairs and information operations in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti as well as key issues in the Horn of Africa such as good governance in Ethiopia, problems in Somalia, and piracy. After reviewing these areas, it is clear that the CJTF-HOA model can be effective under certain circumstances. But, because the CJTF-HOA model requires that which AFRICOM aims to achieve, namely security and stability, it is unsuitable for AFRICOM to use as a model throughout the continent.