AFRICOM at 5 Years: The Maturation of a New U.S. Combatant Command

Mr. Brown concludes this Letort Paper by: 1) debunking three myths about AFRICOM: that it was created to exploit Africa’s oil and gas riches, that it blocks China’s rise in Africa, and that France opposes AFRICOM; and, 2) raising five issues important to AFRICOM’s future: allocated forces, the selection of the Command’s partner nations, the desirability of regional approaches in Africa, the location of the Command’s headquarters, and the need for a strategic right-sizing of the Command.
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