Security Cooperation in Africa

News From the Front

Mr. Michael Hartmayer, Chief, Strategic Analysis Branch, Center for Army 

Lessons Learned (CALL)

COL Evan Trinkle, CALL Liaison Officer to U.S. Army Africa

Approved for Public Release

Distribution Unlimited
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News From the Front

Security Cooperation in Africa

The purpose of assisting foreign security forces is to build U.S. partner capabilities and capacity 

in order to enhance their ability to secure their own territory, fight national and international 

terrorism, and promote local and regional stability. Expanding relationships with African 

partners, both new and old, allows the U.S. to share security interests, gain access to global

basing and give ourselves strategic flexibility while developing culturally attuned leaders in our 

own land forces. In doing this, we’ll also enhance U.S. and African partner interoperability and

develop partners capable of the full range of military operations on the African continent.

To achieve these objectives in Africa, the Department of the Army (DA) chose Southern 

European Task Force to become the Army component headquarters for U.S. Africa Command

(AFRICOM) in December 2008. Subsequently, U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) was designated as 

the Army service component command (ASCC) for AFRICOM in October 2009. The AFRICOM 

Commander directed that USARAF focus on four major tasks: the support of ongoing

operations; fulfilling its Title 10 U.S. Code responsibilities; executing theater security 

cooperation missions; and, being able to deploy joint task force capable headquarters.

USARAF, however, is without assigned forces and the typical theater enablers — a critical 

hurdle in accomplishing its theater security cooperation mission. From its inception, USARAF 

has been dependent on other organizations and the global force management process to 

accomplish its mission. In actuality, USARAF — indeed all ASCCs — requires, at some level, 

assigned forces to conduct security force assistance (SFA) in their theater of operations. 

The purpose of this News From the Front (NFTF) is to share the USARAF story and highlight 

some of the creative ways it accomplishes its security cooperation goals on the continent. To 

that end, this NFTF will address:

 Key USARAF insights on security cooperation in Africa.

 The African Land Forces Summit (ALFS).

 An interview with the USARAF Commanding General, LTG Darryl A. Williams.
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U.S. Army Security Cooperation Insights on Africa

 U.S. Army missions in Africa complement home station training and combat 

training center rotations to build both unit readiness and strategic readiness.

o SFA missions and exercises in Africa provide unique collective training 

opportunities with joint and multinational partners in an austere expeditionary 

environment.

o These training opportunities, including jungle warfare school and 

intercontinental emergency deployment readiness exercises, come at a relatively 

low cost and support AFRICOM and Department of State objectives.

o Africa is a premier leadership lab. It complements professional military 

education with operational leadership experience in overcoming complex 

problems.

 Africa will be a critical part of the future global security environment, directly 

affecting the U.S. homeland, interests, and allies.

o Africa’s youthful population growth from 1.2 to 2.4 billion by 2050,

combined with resource conflict and environmental changes, will dramatically 

increase destabilizing forces coming out of the continent. 

o Africa’s vast distances and austere landscapes, combined with emerging 

future threats, will fundamentally affect the character of war, driving Army 

capabilities development efforts to ensure future U.S. overmatch in both 

combined arms maneuver and wide area security.

o Africa will remain home to violent transnational extremist organizations 

which will directly threaten the U.S., allies, and partners.

o Based on this future environment, the U.S. Army must invest in Soldiers, 

leaders, and partnerships to maintain advantages over future adversaries.

 U.S. Army leader engagements matter in Africa; trust and relationships between 

people will never be obsolete.

o Building trust helps set the theater, enabling rapid response to 

contingencies in Africa.

o Participation in regional seminars, exercises, and training strengthens

partner commitment toward shared solutions to common challenges, and builds 

the interoperability required to address them.

o Good governance is truly at the core of secure, stable, and prosperous 

nations. We have an important opportunity to share with other armies our 

experience in building professionalism and ethical support necessary to protect a 

nation's population.

 U.S. Army activities in Africa showcase the total force concept.

o The Army Reserve and Army National Guard contribute every day to our 

mission success in enabling operations by conducting SFA and supporting the 

Joint Exercise Program.

o The National Guard State Partnership Program is one of the American 

military’s most effective methods of sustained engagement with African partner 

forces.

o Reserve component forces gain regional, deployment, and operational 

experience that improves responsiveness to contingencies.
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 Army capabilities are essential to enabling the joint force and partners in the 

AFRICOM area of responsibility.

o Army units provide the necessary support to enable and sustain joint and

combined operations in Africa, including base support operations integration,

common user logistics, intelligence, construction, and other support.

o Through a flexible network including contract solutions, Army sustainment 

supports challenging missions, supporting operations across incredible 

distances.

o Small investments of key Army enablers allow joint and coalition forces to 

project power across multiple domains.

The African Land Forces Summit (ALFS) as a security cooperation activity

When USARAF was established in 2008, the leadership recognized the need to develop and 

deepen relationships with and between African counterparts. The ALFS was established as a 

venue to provide U.S. and partner nation leaders a forum where issues of mutual interest are 

discussed in an open and collaborative forum. In addition, the operational and political-military 

environment within the regions and across the continent are clarified. 

The first ALFS was held in Washington, D.C., in May 2010. The theme was “Building and 

Maintaining Strong Relationships.” The U.S. Army Chief of Staff (CSA) and 23 African Land 

Forces (ALF) chiefs or designated representatives attended the summit. Key issues discussed 

during the inaugural summit included: institution building, conflict resolution, civilian leadership,

and the integration of women. African delegates cited “poor governance” as the primary conflict 

driver in Africa and stressed that “every country in Africa is not each country in Africa,” that 

capabilities need to be tailored to the specific needs of the partner nation. As a way forward, the 

participants made the determination to conduct ALFS every other year and, more importantly, to 

relocate the summit to the continent of Africa.

In 2012, Uganda hosted the 2nd ALFS in the capital city of Kampala. The summit was attended 

by 35 ALF chiefs and several European observers. The increase in attendance demonstrated 

the importance of conducting the summit on the African continent. The summit’s theme was 

“The Strength of an Army for the Nation and Its People.” Key areas of discussion included the 

need to reevaluate and expand asymmetrical warfare, civil engineering, humanitarian 

assistance, disaster relief, and peacekeeping capabilities. In planning the way forward, the 

delegates agreed to include breakout sessions on key issues and to incorporate more ALF

chiefs as speakers.
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The Senegalese hosted the 3rd ALFS in 2015 in Dakar, Senegal. The theme was “Training for a 

Range of Military Operations.” In attendance were 36 ALF chiefs, as well as regional and 

continental stakeholders. Discussions ranged from training for peacekeeping operations and the 

value of military institutions, to regional military cooperation. The success of ALFS 2015 was 

due primarily to the active participation of ALF chiefs as plenary session speakers. It was also 

decided that in order to maintain the momentum generated during ALFS, that it be conducted on 

a yearly basis. In addition, African delegates requested regional forums in which regional 

specific issues could be addressed. As a result, USARAF agreed to integrate regional leader 

seminars (RLS) into the Accord series of exercises, thereby reducing the time between ALFS, 

while reinforcing regional relationships. 

The 4th ALFS in 2016 was hosted by the Tanzanian People’s Defense Force in Arusha, 

Tanzania. The theme was “Building Security in Africa through Cooperation” and the guest of 

honor was GEN Mark A. Milley, U.S. Army Chief of Staff. The summit was attended by 37 ALF

chiefs and more than 10 U.S. general officers, the largest gathering to date. In addition to the 

plenary session, GEN Milley conducted three bilateral engagements and five multinational

engagements with troop contributing countries supporting efforts in Somalia and in the Lake 

Chad region. LTG Darryl A. Williams, Commander, USARAF, conducted an additional two 

bilateral engagements and two multinational engagements. 
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An Interview with the USARAF Commanding General

LTG Darryl A. Williams

 What are your thoughts and concerns regarding the roles and responsibilities for 

ASCCs? 

 Field Manual (FM) 3-94, Theater Army, Corps and Division Operations, and Army 

Technical Publication (ATP) 3-93, Theater Army Operations, lay out ASCC roles and 

responsibilities pretty clearly. Our ASCC functions are tied to our role as part of the joint 

force within AFRICOM. We also have theater Army roles and responsibilities oriented 

toward Army forces conducting activities in Africa. It is important to balance these roles, 

and we do that through our African Horizons operational approach and our campaign 

support plan.

 Shaping the security environment has been identified as a key Army challenge. 

What challenges does the U.S. face in Africa? 

 Many of the challenges the U.S. faces in Africa are the same challenges our African 

partners face. In today’s interconnected world, the most significant threats are all 

transnational, crossing borders at will and defying national sovereignty. They are 

threatening African partners who face increasing pressure from a growing youth 

population bulge, desertification and the effects of climate change, economic instability 

like the decline of oil prices, and other challenges. Another security environment 

challenge is the size of Africa and the “tyranny of distance” which requires posture on 

the continent able to support the reach of land forces to remote destinations. USARAF 

efforts to shape the security environment are intended to identify, understand, and 

attempt to mitigate these challenges.

 From a theater security cooperation and exercise perspective, where do African 

Horizons and security cooperation activities need to go? 

 Security cooperation in Africa and AFRICOM’s joint exercise program have continued to 

improve, creating more interoperable and combat ready forces for both the U.S. military 

and our African partners. At ALFS 2016, a number of ALF chiefs expressed a need for 

increased materiel capacity building, and part of that will be hands-on training with new 

equipment through both security cooperation and exercises. 

Finally, it is increasingly clear that Africa’s regional challenges require regional solutions, 

so an increased focus on shared regional activities will be an important next step. 
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Looking into the future, AFRICOM and USARAF are continuing to build sustainable 

partner capabilities through engaging at the institutional levels; our efforts with the

Democratic Republic of Congo Logistics School, Malawi Senior Noncommissioned 

Officer Academy and the Nigeria 20-year strategy are a few examples of how we’re 

approaching this. As African Horizons focuses more attention toward building 

sustainable defense institutions, we should be able to realize a reduction in the 

tactical/operational-level engagements, while the emphasis shifts to “train-the-trainer” 

security cooperation missions. 

What has been the purpose and progression of the regional leader seminars

(RLS), and the ALFS over the years you have been in command? What has been

their impact on the way ahead on the continent of Africa? 

 ALFS is intended to bring together senior ALF leadership from across the continent to 

discuss important security topics and to strengthen enduring partnerships. It has been so 

successful in both of those roles that we have transitioned it from a biennial to an annual 

event. These discussions help us to focus and prioritize our own activities, and provide a 

forum enabling ALF leaders to synchronize their efforts. We designed the RLS to 

replicate ALFS benefits on a regional scale and strengthen regional security institutions, 

because Africa’s most pressing security challenges demand shared regional solutions. 

The RLS take place in conjunction with the regional Accord series joint exercises, pairing 

senior leader discussions with the tangible results of the exercise. 

 What do you see as some of the key long-term institutional fixes that the 

Department of Defense (DOD)/DA can implement to improve multinational 

operations/interoperability?

 Partnership and interoperability demands trust. Programs like International Military 

Education and Training, ALFS, RLS, and multinational exercises are important enablers 

in this regard. Similarly, increased information sharing to create a common operating 

picture enables multinational operations. Tactical interoperability is a focus of our train 

and equip security cooperation efforts, as well as both command post exercises and field 

training exercises during Accord-series exercises. We also need to see an increase in 

Army institutional subject matter experts in the AFRICOM area of responsibility

partnering with and helping to build institutional capacities. 
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 How do you recommend going about making these long-term fixes and ensuring 

they are sustained? 

 Over the past year we have made a systematic effort to link our SFA efforts to 

AFRICOM’s lines of effort which are depicted in their theater campaign plan. By 

leveraging AFRICOM strategy as the driver for our efforts to create interoperability, we 

make those efforts more sustainable in two ways. The first is that all partners working 

toward those strategic efforts are now unified in purpose, enabling us to identify required 

capabilities and make the solutions uniform across all the partners. It also forces us to 

take the long view and reinforce ongoing efforts, rather than reinvent the wheel. 

 Reflecting on your time here, what are some of the key takeaways regarding 

operating on the continent, and where are we headed? 

 The African continent is highly diverse with a broad range of operating environments. 

Africa’s vast distances and austere landscapes make sustainment, mobility, and other 

enablers critical to successful operations in Africa. Partnerships are key – they are the 

foundation to operations on the continent, because they are a prerequisite to access, 

coalitions, and to the combat power that African militaries bring to the battlefield. 

 If you had unlimited resources for theater security cooperation, what tools would 

you like that you do not already have at your disposal? 

 We have the funding and authorities needed to accomplish U.S. strategic objectives. As 

I mentioned earlier though, as the focus for enhancing partner capacity evolves toward 

the institutional level, USARAF would like to better leverage the subject matter expertise 

of the U.S. Army’s institutions (TRADOC, Army War College, Centers of Excellence such 

as Mission Command, West Point, etc.) to build lasting bilateral and regional institutional 

partners. The Army, and DOD at-large, can do better with developing frameworks and 

expertise in institutional assessments, and measuring the effects our phase zero 

missions are yielding.

I would also like to see more full-time security cooperation professionals on the ground 

in Africa. This is something AFRICOM is working toward as security cooperation offices 

(SCOs) operate under the combatant commander (CCDR) and U.S. Embassy country 

team direction. There are simply too few Office of Security Cooperation chiefs and 

bilateral affairs officers on the very large and populous African continent to do the 

mission as it continues to expand. Some of these SCOs have accreditation to multiple 
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countries and areas so large that it is beyond their ability to properly service. Our work in 

Africa is phase zero and is likely to remain so many years into the future and we need 

more phase zero professionals on the ground in Africa. This is would provide real 

leverage to enable better partnerships and more productive security cooperation results. 

 What additional capacities/capabilities would you like to build? 

 AFRICOM has requested a dedicated Army division headquarters – one that is either 

assigned or habitually allocated for years at a time. This would greatly enable 

AFRICOM’s ability to establish a combined joint task force or coalition joint forces land 

component command in a contingency, as well as increase Army force readiness 

through dedicated training management with an eye on a particular geographic 

combatant command. 

 What effects would you like to create (for example, greater or easier access to 

certain countries; reduction of ungoverned/under-governed territory)? 

 The Army is striving to achieve the effects that the AFRICOM Commander and the CSA 

have directed us to achieve. This includes neutralizing and/or containing violent 

extremist organizations, countering illicit trafficking and activities, building partner 

capacity, setting conditions for regional security and stability, while at the same time, 

sustaining and building Army readiness and addressing the Army’s warfighting function 

challenges. Africa is the premier leadership laboratory for our young Army leaders and 

Soldiers; it’s a complex environment, requiring innovation, with adaptive and flexible 

forces who can operate and partner with joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and 

multinational stakeholders. 

 What are the doctrine, organization, training, leader development, materiel, 

personnel and facilities gaps, if any, in terms of the ASCC as a joint task force 

(JTF) or the core of a JTF? Do we have the missions and roles right for ASCCs

and what are the challenges? 

 USARAF operated successfully in the roles of a JTF and a joint forces command in 

Operation United Assistance in 2014. USARAF filled that role for a relatively short 

duration to enable the 101

st Airborne Division headquarters to stand up, deploy, and 

assume that mission. Although successful, even this relatively attenuated mission 

stretched USARAF to its organizational capacity. Now, headquarters reduction efforts 

have decreased that capacity, making it even more difficult to fulfill that role, which 
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remains a specified task in the AFRICOM theater campaign plan. The simple fact is that

each geographic combatant commander (GCC) wants their ASCC to be able to act in 

the role of JTF or joint force land component command; and, Army doctrine, 

organization, and manning should enable that. 

 System interoperability remains a challenge in multinational operations. What are 

the challenges we face with African armies? 

 Many African armies do much of their command and control by non-digital/analog 

methods. Again, Africa is not monolithic and many African armies have abundant digital 

equipment. The U.S. Army needs to be interoperable with partners whose command and 

control methods are frequently less developed than our own. I would like to think this 

would not be difficult, but it is. The effort to be interoperable is not just a goal for our 

partners to work toward, but also requires us to put forth the necessary effort to be 

interoperable with them. 

 How does USARAF use exercises as a security cooperation (SC) tool? What is the 

way ahead for exercises at the ASCC level in Africa? 

 Exercises are a natural SC tool that improve interoperability. The regional Accord series 

exercises use command post exercises and field training exercises to comprehensively 

address interoperability gaps between our NATO allies, our African partners, and 

ourselves. In addition, USARAF is the lead for medical readiness exercises that acquaint 

our U.S. Army medical personnel with the closest conditions to a battlefield environment 

they are likely to experience outside of combat. It is important for our physicians and 

corpsman to practice medicine in an austere environment. 

 Does doctrine support the ASCC and its mission? Are changes needed? 

 I personally think our doctrine serves us well. FM 3-94 and ATP 3-93 lay out 

responsibilities for a theater army. We will continue to coordinate with Army 

headquarters and the other ASCCs to ensure that our doctrine enables all ASCCs to 

effectively meet the full range of CCDR missions and requirements. We feel that Force 

2020 Maneuvers and the Army Campaign of Learning are doing a great job of capturing 

the changes that will be required in our future operations. 
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 How well does the current process between DA, ASCCs, and GCCs in terms of 

theater security cooperation work in theater strategy development? What 

improvements are needed? 

 Both the Army and the broader joint force lack doctrine for developing and managing a 

steady-state campaign. This is difficult because of the nature of campaigns and the lack 

of doctrine governing how joint commands and their subordinates should design 

appropriate operational frameworks. Our current doctrine is a good fit for contingency 

operations and linear campaigns, but not for a dynamic steady-state campaign that must 

be continuously adjusted over a number of years in response to the changing 

environment. A rigid strategy and theater campaign quickly becomes irrelevant due to 

changes in the environment and leadership. 

 What are the command’s views on the regionally aligned force (RAF)? Is the RAF 

the right force for USARAF or other ASCCs? 

 My experience is that an allocated RAF provides capable Soldiers and leaders for our 

operations on the continent. Greater regional expertise is always beneficial, 

acknowledging this comes with a price tag. I believe RAF benefits in true terms of 

readiness by deploying to what are often harsh and challenging environments within 

Africa. We are refining our plans to employ RAF to meet their mission essential task list 

requirements and training management needs at the same time that we are training our 

African partners. This is particularly effective for infantry brigade combat team forces, 

who share virtually all of the same training tasks with African partner forces. 

 Does USARAF need to be JTF fully capable or is the contingency command post

(CCP) enough? 

 USARAF has an AFRICOM requirement to be able to stand up the core of a combined 

joint task force, and this requirement exists across several other ASCCs as well. A CCP 

would increase USARAF’s ability to meet this requirement, but is minimally sufficient to 

take on that role on its own. A preferred solution would be for the Army to assign or 

habitually allocate a division headquarters to AFRICOM. In addition to other benefits for 

RAF drawn from that division, it would enable the headquarters to focus on ongoing 

operations while USARAF maintains focus on its overarching ASCC and theater army 

responsibilities across the whole continent.