THE UNITED STATES AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF AFRICAN SECURITY: The African Crisis Response Initiative and Beyond

involved in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since the end of the Cold
War, though, this has begun to change. U.S. forces have
supported several humanitarian relief and evacuation
operations associated with African conflicts. They have also
conducted numerous “engagement” activities aimed at
assisting African states and their militaries during the
transition to democracy. But Africa remains a region where
U.S. national security interests must be promoted with
limited resources. This makes a sophisticated and coherent
strategy vitally important.
Helping Africans develop a capability to avoid or solve
their region's security problems has reemerged recently as
an important goal of American strategy, and the African
Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) is its centerpiece. Based
on their testimony presented to the Africa Subcommittee of
the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
International Relations, this study by Dr. Steven Metz and
Colonel Dan Henk of the U.S. Army War College examines
the ACRI. Significantly, it does so by placing the ACRI in a
wider, long-term strategic context.
The Strategic Studies Institute is pleased to offer this
report as a contribution to ongoing debates over the
appropriate role for the U.S. military in promoting
American national interests in Sub-Saharan Africa.