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[ ] @ This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here » Blog Archive » Big Red One, Second Brigade to Africathe Army is sending small teams culled from 1st Infantry Divisions Second Brigade to Africa ostensibly to train troops in up to 35 nations how to fight the spread of al Qaeda on that continent, according to the Associated Press; The teams will be limited to training and equipping efforts, and will not be permitted
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says, for years the United States has focused on combating al-Qaida in nations like Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia. As a result of developments in Mali, Panetta says another militant off-shoot, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, is also on Americas national security radar. Now AQIM is out there, they have tried to establish a base of operations. That is serious. I am glad that France took the steps they did. We are now working with France to make sure that al-Qaida has no place to hide.
Panetta spoke on NBCs Meet the Press television program in one of his final interviews as defense secretary. Appearing alongside him was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, who characterized militants in North Africa this way: I would not describe them as the number-one national security threat [to the United States]. But they are a threat that is localized, becoming regionalized, and, left unaddressed, will become a global threat. Panetta said some upheaval is to be expected in North Africa after sweeping changes brought on by the Arab Spring. That is what we are seeing in that part of the world, is a tremendous amount of change. Our hope is that change can move in the direction of providing greater democracy and greater stability. That is what you hope for these countries. But there is instability associated with change, and that is what we are seeing.
On other global matters, Panetta said Iran has yet to specifically embark on building an atomic weapon, but its enrichment efforts are a clear cause for concern. He also said the United States remains committed to forging a partnership with Afghanistan that will endure after U.S. combat forces leave the country next year. President Obama has nominated former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel to succeed Panetta as defense secretary.
US Sharpens Focus on Northern Africa
Army Gen. Carter Ham faced some wary members of the House Armed Services Committee, who questioned a robust U.S. military involvement in Africa after more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ham said the threats in Africa do not match al-Qaida or the Taliban in Afghanistan, "but the trend is not good." "I think we have an opportunity now to work preventive effort in concert with African forces and with allies and friends globally to suppress the threat, to reverse the trend, which is increasingly worrisome to me," Ham told the committee. "And that does not necessitate a large commitment of U.S. forces. And I do not believe that a large commitment of U.S. forces is either necessary nor appropriate under the current circumstance."
Army Gen. Carter Ham
Ham cited the growing collaboration between the Nigerian-based radical sect Boko Haram and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which bases its operations in Mali. The general said AQIM is the wealthiest affiliate of al-Qaida, due in part to ransom from kidnappings and the drug trade, and the group has been financing Boko Haram. The two groups also have shared training and fighters.
Boko Haram has targeted Nigeria's weak central government with guerrilla attacks. Pressed on whether it had any intent on striking in the United States, Ham said some elements of the group are looking to attack beyond Africa to Europe and the United States. "I think that's why it's important for us in partnership with Nigeria and others ... to help them counter this before their capability matches their intent," Ham said. The challenge facing the U.S. military is determining which groups have legitimate ties to a terrorist organization such as al-Qaida and which are organizations dissatisfied with their government.
Ham also complained about "significant shortfalls in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance" as he tries to carry out his mission. Ham's testimony came as the United States has increased training efforts in several African nations amid widespread insurgent violence across North Africa. AQIM-linked terrorists are believed to have played a key role in the attack last September on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. Ham, who took over Africa Command in March 2011, is stepping down and will be replaced by Army Gen. David Rodriguez.
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