Army Gen. William E. (Kip) Ward, Commander, United States Africa Command, speaks with The Associated Press during an interview, Monday, March 23, 2009, at the Pentagon in Washington. "I don't see direct connections," Ward later said about Somali pirates and Islamic extremists. "But, again, if you look at the clan structure or the tribes - to think that there may not be linkages probably is a bit naive." (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)From AllAfrica.com:
Soon after General William E. (Kip) Ward became the first commander of the United States Africa Command, known as Africom, in October 2007, he summed up his vision for his new undertaking in a posting on the Africom web site: "Years from now we want Africans and Americans to be able to say Africom made a difference — a positive difference."
Prior to Africom's creation, responsibility for coordinating U.S. military activity in Africa was divided among three other regional commands. The decision by President George W. Bush sparked considerable controversy and debate, and African governments and non-governmental organizations have reacted with a mixture of caution and outright rejection. Ward, who joined the U.S. army in 1971 and is the only African American four-star general on active duty, believes much of the criticism is waning, as he explained in an interview with AllAfrica in his Pentagon office. Excerpts:
Read more ....
My Comment: A revealing portrait of what is the American military strategy in Africa.