In February 2007, President Bush announced that the United States would create a new military command for Africa, to be known as the Africa Command or AFRICOM, to protect U.S. national security interests on the African continent. Previously, control over U.S. military operations in Africa was divided between three different commands: European Command, which oversaw North Africa and most of sub-Saharan Africa; Central Command, which had responsibility for Egypt and the Horn of Africa; and Pacific Command, which administered the Indian Ocean and Madagascar.
The new command set up shop in Stuttgart, Germany in October 2007, as a sub-command of the European Command, and is scheduled to become a separate, fully independent command in October 2008. The Pentagon has intended to establish a headquarters – or set of regional headquarters – on the African continent. But now those plans appear on hold.
Via South Africa’s Mail & Guardian:
Controversy surrounding the United States military’s new Africa Command has forced the Pentagon to put plans for establishing a headquarters in the continent on a slow track, US defence officials said on Friday.
The Pentagon still hopes to have a command headquarters in Africa, but officials acknowledge it will take time to overcome negative regional perceptions.
The problem became evident when General William Ward, the head of Africom, toured the region after assuming his post in October and found that Africans were convinced the United States wanted to establish bases and send troops to the region.
The Pentagon insists it has no plans for either permanent bases or garrison troops in Africa, only a more focused effort to help train and equip African militaries.
The US currently has a few survellience posts in Africa. The largest is in Djbouti on the Horn of Africa.