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Africom to Continue Under Obama
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With the Obama administration set to oversee significant increases in US security assistance programmes for African countries, Daniel Volman examines the US government’s plans for its military operations on the African continent over the coming financial year. Stressing that the US president is essentially continuing the policies outlined under his predecessor George W. Bush, the author considers the proposed funding increases for initiatives like the Foreign Military Financing programme and the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme. Pointing out that the administration is yet to offer any public explanation of its policy, Volman concludes that it would be a mistake to assume that there will be no US military action if the situation in Somalia deteriorates.
At the beginning of May 2009, President Obama submitted his first budget request to Congress. The Obama administration’s budget for the 2010 financial year proposes significant increases in US security assistance programmes for African countries and for the operations of the new US Africa Command (AFRICOM). This shows that – at least initially – the administration is following the course laid down for AFRICOM by the Bush administration, rather than putting these programmes on hold until it can conduct a serious review of US security policy towards Africa. This article outlines the administration’s plans for Africa in the coming year and the money it intends to spend on military operations on the continent.
FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING
The Obama administration proposes maintaining or significantly increasing funding for the Foreign Military Financing programme, which provides loans for the sale of weaponry and other military equipment to a number of African countries. The administration’s request raises the total funding for arms sales to Africa from $8.3 million in financial year (FY) 2009 to $25.6 million in FY 2010. The new funding includes funding for arms sales to Chad ($500,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo ($2.5 million), Djibouti ($2.5 million), Ethiopia ($3 million), Kenya ($1 million), Liberia ($9 million), Nigeria ($1.4 million), South Africa ($800,000) and African regional programmes ($2.8 million).
INTERNATIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The Obama administration proposes small increases in the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programmes for African counties, raising the total funding for this programme from $13.8 million in FY 2009 to $16 million in FY 2010. Significant increases in funding are requested for Chad ($400,000), Djibouti ($350,000), Ethiopia ($775,000), Ghana ($850,000), Kenya ($1,050,000), Liberia ($525,000), Mali ($350,000), Niger ($250,000), Nigeria ($1,100,000), Rwanda ($500,000), Senegal ($1,100,000), South Africa ($900,000) and Uganda ($550,000). The United States will continue its major IMET programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo ($500,000), and the Obama administration is proposing to start new IMET programmes in Equatorial Guinea ($40,000), Somalia ($40,000) and Zimbabwe ($40,000).
PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
The Obama administration proposes major new funding for security assistance provided through the Peacekeeping Operations programme. The FY 2010 budget proposal includes increasing funding for the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership – from $15 million in FY 2009 to $20 million in FY 2010 – and for the East Africa Regional Strategic Initiative – from $5 million in FY 2009 to $10 million in FY 2010. It also includes $42 million to continue operations in support of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accords in southern Sudan, $10 million to continue operations to create a professional 2,000-member armed force in Liberia, $21 million to continue operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo to reform the military (including the creation of rapid reaction force for the eastern Congo), and $3.6 million for the Africa Conflict Stabilization and Border Security Program, which will be used to support monitoring teams, advisory assistance, training, infrastructure enhancements, and equipment in the Great Lakes region, the Mano River region, the Horn of Africa, Chad, and the Central African Republic. The budget request also includes $67 million to support the African Union Mission in Somalia. And it contains a request for $96.8 million for the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). The request for GPOI includes funding for the African Contingency Operations and Training Assistance Program (ACOTA) – which provides training and equipment to African military forces to enhance their peacekeeping capabilities – although the specific amount requested for ACOTA is not provided in the budget summary.
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
NON-PROLIFERATION, ANTI-TERRORISM, DE-MINING AND RELATED PROGRAMMES
The Obama administration proposes to almost double funding for counter-terrorism programmes. These include the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, which provides training to countries throughout the world; the Terrorist Interdiction Program/Personal Identification, Secure Comparison, and Evaluation System Program, which supports identification and watch listing systems to 18 countries (including Kenya); the Counterterrorism Financing Program, which helps partner countries throughout the world stop the flow of money to terrorists; and the Counterterrorism Engagement Program, which is intended to strengthen ties with key political leaders throughout the world and ‘build political will at senior levels in partner nations for shared counterterrorism challenges’.
AFRICOM
The Obama administration’s proposed FY 2010 budget for the Department of Defense requests some $300 million in operation and maintenance funds to cover the cost of AFRICOM operations and Operation Enduring Freedom-Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership operations at the AFRICOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The administration is also requesting $263 million to provide additional personnel, airlift and communications support to AFRICOM. And the budget includes a request for a total of $451 million to replace or upgrade facilities at enduring CENTCOM and AFRICOM locations, but does not provide a separate figure for AFRICOM. According to the budget, the administration intends to carry out significant investment at Camp Lemonier in FY 2010. In addition, the administration is requesting $30 million to pay the annual lease for the 500-acre base at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti and $170 million to cover the annual operational budget of the base.
The administration is requesting some $400 million for Global Train and Equip (Section 1206) programmes, some $200 million for Security and Stabilization Assistance (Section 1207) programmes, and some $1 million for the Combatant Commander’s Initiative Fund. This money will be used primarily to pay for emergency training and equipment, the services of personnel from the State Department, and humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi and Afghani armed forces, but it will be available for the use of AFRICOM as well. The administration’s budget request also contains $1.9 billion to buy three Littoral Combat Ships and another $373 million to buy two Joint High Speed Vessels, ships that will play a crucial role in US Navy operations off the coast of Africa. It also includes $44 billion to fund US Navy operations throughout the world – of which a significant proportion will be needed to cover the costs of US Navy operations in African waters – but the budget does not provide enough information to estimate these costs.
SECURITY POLICY TOWARD THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND SOMALIA
Obama administration officials have not said anything in public to explain why they are proceeding with the Bush administration’s plan to increase US security assistance to African countries and to expand US military activities on the continent. General William Ward, commander of AFRICOM, at a news conference that he held during his visit to Kinshasa in April 2009, provided one of the few pieces of evidence we have about the administration’s thinking. The United States will continue working in training and advising the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo ‘to help the host nation build capacity to more effectively conduct its military operations and provide for its own security.’ The United States currently has a seven-member mobile training team training Congolese military officers. This training, Ward said at the news conference, is intended ‘to support the increased professionalization of the Congolese armed forces as best we can as they work to bring security and stability here in Congo.’ This suggests that President Obama – despite his rhetorical commitment to multilateralism and ’soft power’ and the abysmal record of military incompetence and human rights violations by the Congolese armed forces – is convinced that unilateral US military involvement can still work and that he can succeed where his predecessor failed.
The only other indication we have about the president’s true intentions is provided by his decision to authorise the use of force to rescue the kidnapped captain of the Maersk Alabama in May 2009. When he was a candidate, President Obama declared that he believed that ‘there will be situations that require the United States to work with its partners in Africa to fight terrorism with lethal force.’ But his action during the kidnapping episode show that he is also willing to use military force in situations that have nothing to do with terrorism. According to recent news articles, a debate is currently underway within the administration about the wisdom of direct US military intervention against Somali pirates or against the al-Shabaab insurgents. Top administration officials and military officers are convinced that, in the words of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, ‘there is no purely military solution’ to piracy and political conflict in Somalia. And Johnnie Carson, the president’s new assistant secretary of state for Africa, told the BBC that ‘there would be no case of the US re-engaging on the ground with troops’ in Somalia. But some in the military and a number of prominent neo-conservative leaders contend that the United States must strike back at the pirates and the insurgents to prevent future acts of piracy and terrorism against Americans. It would be a mistake to assume that Obama will not take further military action if the situation in Somalia escalates.
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June 27th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
im so sick of the arab president doing whatever the funk he wants, all of what there doing calls for a revolution, we are almost to the point where we can’t do anything legally so fight we must
LIVE FREE OR DIE TRYING.
luisfreespeech.weebly.com
wups Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 7:51 am
arab president?
u racist bastard
go wash your mouth
im an arab and i hate him because he’s against us
jiggy Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 10:01 am
You’d say the same thing if we called him what he is a muslim. so go was your mouth!! you dont get mad people talk about bush like that. why cause hes white. go take a nap.
Charles Pearson Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Don’t listen to these racist idiots. The real freedom movement is not about race but about liberating everyone. We’re colorblind.
obama osama your mama Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
africom is just another part of top down rule
obama is just a precursor to the final antichrist…
…who i could real likely see descending with this coming decade, as most signs are here, but i also wouldn’t be surprised if its a few thousand more years
God knos ALL
and obama is a deceiver, a sellout, – HAVE FUN IN HELL OBAMA! And to all you datamining human operators, yes, you are sold-out too, for a much smaller price, is it worth it?
AFRICOM, lol, go back to your hidef flickering 2 dimensional false reality tv programming slaves
1984 Reply:
June 30th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
God know all…yet is utterly useless in making things better
1776blues Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Why is he racist? What and who is Obama? Mother is white, father is majority Arab and a small % black.
Though it is not about race, those on the left cry racist no matter what you say.
SO AGAIN, HOW IS WUPS RACIST BY CALLING HIM AN ARAB?
Politically correctness makes me puke!
Patriot_in_Arms Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
How many of you guys on here, are members of your local, or State Militias? If you really want to do something, & be prepared, then do as your forefathers demanded, & join the Militia! This was an order, not a suggestion! I’m not talking about the Washington run National Guard either. If you read, in the Constitution, you’ll find that the Militias are not to be sent off of U.S. soil, nor be at the command of the President, unless there were a major emergency! So the second the Government sent the NG overseas, they became nothing more than a branch of the U.S. Military. This is very important, that you guys on here, especially those who own riffles, seek out the closest Militia to you, & start training. There are plenty of legitimate Militias out there who are not Neo-Nazi’s, or Goobers in uniforms, that are in place to be called out by the Governors of your respective States. This is not only the solution to an out of control Government, but the training you receive, may just save you & your families live one day. Our Framers set the Militias up to be a counter part to our Military. But of course, with all the lies, & covering up of our true history, the Government & Media have demonized the Militias, to be seen as nothing of importance, or necessity, but instead a dangerous group of radicals! However, our framers knew that this Government, like all Governments before it, would one day turn on the people who it’s suppose to serve. This is the reason for our 2nd Amendment, & Militias of the People, because there has never been a Government in history, that has not turned their guns on their own public! Join now, or die a slave!!!!!!!!
White Man Hezballah Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:10 am
yeah i agree with you. people think the national guard are a militia. they receive orders from washington so they are now another branch of the federal military. a militia takes orders from WE THE PEOPLE. i am armed and ready, like you
Just Me Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:30 am
They are not even referred to as Militia anymore they are “Reserve Troops” and “NATIONAL Guard”
JEW BABY NEWMAN Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
I agree with you Mr.. Patiot in Arms / We need to fight or lose our country and in time our lives …. I live in Alaska and believe me a lot of people are wanting out ……
Lets stop being pushed around and get it done ASAP !!!!!!!!!!
Karen Reply:
June 30th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Now exactly how would we,could we defend ourselves against a para military force? Heck we have drones over Pakistan that can’t even be seen from the ground. People on the ground don’t even know they are there. We may be able to defend ourselves against home invasion when society breaks down but I can’t see a real battle with the armed forces not to mention foreign forces.
June 27th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
y does Alex never let his 5 callers a day speak? always cutting people off and making them feel rushed…”hurry i must hear myself speak”!
obama osama your mama Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
5 minutes of content then 10 minutes of the same commercials over and over
can there really be people who listen to all the commercials over and over? id rather watch SHAM WOW! advert
n take that whore picture with the water filter off the front page, lest the site turn to smut
1776blues Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
His show!
June 27th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
“continuing the policies outlined by bush?”, and then some.
June 27th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
HERE: Stream and Download ALL the best interviews and rants from the Alex Jones Show Archives:
http://alex-jones-archives.politicsfiles.info/
TODAY:
- Webster Tarpley:What’s Next for The NWO?
- Pro-Lifer Mark Crutcher:Illegal Activites Inside The Abortion Industry !!
- Pastor Dave Jones & Dean Broyles:Acting Under Color of Law!!
Backup your favorite episodes, don’t miss any!
June 27th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Obama is just throwing our money away to these dictatorial African countries but it benefits the global elite two ways.
1. It helps drain the US of its money so that the culmination of the stimulus and our budget will result in our break down. Its not ‘a lot’ (not billions but close to a billion) but still its going away from our tax payers to these corrupt nations. I would feel better if it were going to decent things but its not the job of the tax payer to be doing these things to other countries.
2. It will help increase control over the resources of Africa that the globalist are after most strikingly the natural resources of oil and minerals which are basically robbed by the people. The military spending will be to keep those product dictatorships running well. I would not be surprised if money is going to eugenics operations as well. Obama did say he wants to fund abortions over seas.
Dr Mabuse Reply:
June 30th, 2009 at 2:26 am
This is directly on point.
Karen Reply:
June 30th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
You are right. Destruction of our economy was a major part of it. Notice how Obama is beside himself with glee.
June 27th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Same shit different puppet.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Everybody here sees what I do.
FUC…
We need real change.
ME.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:22 am
Revolution is bad idea mainly because so very few people understand who the real enemy is. Most people do not even understand what America’s assignment was, what principles this nation was forged from. People within the freedom movement, no offense to anyone, but most have their mind polluted with disinformation. There are less than a hand full of people in this nation today who have the knowledge, understanding, and ability to actually lead a real revolution. No one within this movement, including myself, have the brains or ability to do so. Yeah, it’s nice to think we do but it’s simply not the reality. I’m not advocating rolling over to the enemy. If it has to happen then it will happen, and it wouldn’t be a fun thing. My point is, there is a lot of bullshit in the anti-nwo movements, that’s just a fact. We are running out of options and the entire planet is literally going into a dark age, billions are going to die, that’s the reality. Truth is, the world is fucked at this point, unless the current government changes its course, like, NOW!
Sally Porter Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I’d like to know some examples of disinfo and bs that you talk of. One of the main problems in spreading a message or information is exempified by the previous statement where by the writer is reduced to name calling with out any example or logical arguement. Simply stateing vague and derogatory sentences like “polluted with disinformation” and “lot of bs in the anti-nwo movement” shows that either you are participating in disinfo and appealing to dimwitted morons or else you simply need to learn the rules of argument and persuasion based on logic where by conclusions are based on fact, not spouted without example. This same name calling is everywhere used by the NWO because it is the only cruch that can support the enormity of their dead weight.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:36 am
I’m thinking black o’bastad will start sending the iraqi troops to africa as well as afghanistan, and load ‘em up with tax payer billions in the coming year, or less.
joe Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 5:39 am
They will not be sending more troops to Africa, Except on the normal rotation. I know because Iam here now. Afghanistan is a diffrent story. Besides N.Korea is acting up…….
roaddog Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
joe—we’ll see. He did mention on his campaign trail that he was gonna do it. But since he’s one of the biggest liars on the planet, who knows.
obama osama your mama Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
oh ok “JOE” you know cause “YOURE THERE”
some your some low level serf selling his life for a few dollars a year and some college grant money, a cot to sleep n a rifle to love?
and we’re to assume that the generals all consult you about African U.S. troop deployment?
if you are in the satanic army, go back to your hole of a hollow life, or wake the fuk up n put in work for your Master – GOD
not osama/obama
June 28th, 2009 at 3:46 am
Deport Obama back to Kenya!
June 28th, 2009 at 6:59 am
All troops should come home from all over the world. We need them here to protect us from our own rogue government. Our military was formed to protect us not them. This is all insane. It is time to rise up and put the criminals in jail and with that empty our present labor camps (Jails-Prisons) of free Americans imprisioned under bad and biased laws…just so they can fill the private prisons with free labor…Yes the United States of America is running labor camps…just like North Korea. Bad Laws will Jail Good People. And, as time goes on more of us and more of us will become criminals of the state and will be free labor, in the internment camps or whatever you wish to call the most vast prison system in the world located in the USA. And soon no one will ever come out alive. Think about it.
Repent.Unite.Resist.
LRS Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 11:05 am
First off you don’t put them in jail you HANG them for TREASON…. And those in jail have bonds taken out on them and thats how they are making money on them. I would look in to the whole COMMERCIAL LAW thing because THATS WHAT WE ARE FOLLOWING IN OUR COURTS NOT THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. THATS WHY THEY WIN AND YOU LOSE…
White Man Hezballah Reply:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:15 am
belinda – and it’s funny how most people in the USA say, “that’s just the way it is”. it’s not supposed to be this way. people don’t understand – tyranny doesn’t go away. we have to flush the system…
we need a teacher or a farmer to be our next president
June 28th, 2009 at 9:43 am
This whole idea with creating AFRICOM is to kick the Chinese out of Africa! This is total war in Africa over raw materials and minerals, OK PHOY?
Unconquered Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 11:33 am
xfxdoom you are 110% spot on. Its the exact same thing we’re doing in Iraq. What we’ll be doing in Iran very soon. We”ll be sending troops, building huge infrastructure projects so our “diplomats” will be in air conditioned comfort, Blackwater/Xe/whatever they’re calling themselves these days will “keep the peace” when the UN peacekeepers are too busy raping and pillaging. And in the meantime millions of citizens of Africa will be slaughtered and the rest will be running for their lives. It’s maddening.
June 28th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Oh Ebinezer, Marly is coming:
“We are the children of the the Rasta man,
so Africa Unite.
We are the children of the higher Man
so Africa Unite
cause we’re moving out of Babylon
and we’re groving to our Father’s Land.
How good and how pleasant it would be
before God and man
to see the unification of all Africans”
The slave masters of babylon can never win the soul of Africa
not with money, not with guns, and not with disease.
“Souls almighty, can you dig it
Souls almighty, can you stop it
Come will chant down babylon one more time.
For them soft.”
“Slave driver, your table has turned
catch your fire, your going to get burned
Run dem out.”
Ja Rasta Gideon Salasi General Eye n Eye Allmighty.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Funny thing though Haille Salasi? Your people keep replacing liberty with despotism in the process as you dercree Freedom & Liberty.
Africa- Freedom by some mens law.(Who usually turnout to be slave masters themselves) But Men do not own this World.
June 28th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Here we go again, stickin our dick into the business of other people. What ever happened to the country that didnt get involved like this in other people’s business? Kind reminds me of a quote by Gen. Robert E. Lee:
“I can only say that while I have considered the preservation of the constitutional power of the General Government to be the foundation of our peace and safety at home and abroad, I yet believe that the maintenance of the rights and authority reserved to the states and to the people, not only essential to the adjustment and balance of the general system, but the safeguard to the continuance of a free government. I consider it as the chief source of stability to our political system, whereas the consolidation of the states into one vast republic, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of that ruin which has overwhelmed all those that have preceded it.”
Man we are so screwed.
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June 28th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Christians, some prophecy theorists implicate African regimes in the war of Ezekiel 38.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Imperialism for Africa:
More extortion, blackmail, & bribery.
The Bankers clean up after the AIPAC 9/11 cover up.
Words are plentiful deeds are precious.
Uncle Tom or Uncle Sam?
Neocon Obama
June 30th, 2009 at 9:07 am
AIRINC has a contract with the Navy’s Counter Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office (CNTPO, aka “the program office”) to supply Afghanistan with new Russian Mi-17 helicopters. The web of alliances to avoid publicly dealing with partners of banned “Rosoboronexport” is amazing to those “in the know”. Some blogs have info.
Will Obama “Buy Russian” for the African “allies” as with Afghanistan? The Russians are getting rich and laughing all the way to the bank while CNTPO’ $15 Billion budget is squandered in Kazan rather than supporting jobs in Seattle, Philadelphia, and Ft. Worth – homes of America’s helicopter industrial leaders. All the while, Nancy Pelosi yells “JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, JOBS” like the raving idiot she is.