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AFRICOM Chief Nominated for Unique New Command

12 July 2007

Humanitarian, health and development efforts to be part of AFRICOM mission

Washington -- General William E. Ward, an Army officer, is President Bush’s choice to be the first chief of the new U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which will coordinate U.S. government support for nations across the continent.

Ward is currently deputy chief of the U.S. European Command, where he oversees day-to-day operations of American forces and military interests in 92 countries, including a majority of the African nations. Bush made the nomination July 10.

Bush announced in February the creation of AFRICOM. Instead of being a traditional military command, the new headquarters will coordinate existing security cooperation with African nations while consolidating U.S. government support for partner nations.

Humanitarian, health and development efforts are intended to be important parts of AFRICOM’s mission. The headquarters is expected to have two deputy commanders:  a State Department ambassador will serve as deputy for civil-military activities and a three-star military officer will serve as deputy for military operations. As currently envisioned, the headquarters will include staff specialists from the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other federal agencies currently working with African partners.

Under the U.S. Constitution, Ward’s nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Ward’s nomination hearing and annual public hearings on the status of AFRICOM are expected to create more visibility for African issues within the U.S. government. Until now, the U.S. European Command has coordinated U.S. military interests in much of Africa.

The new AFRICOM headquarters is scheduled to begin initial operations in October and to be fully established by October 2008. The AFRICOM transition team currently is based in Stuttgart, Germany, home of the U.S. European Command. But U.S. officials have said they want to move part or all of the headquarters’ offices to one or more African countries. Pentagon officials have said they would like the new AFRICOM chief to establish a personal presence on the continent soon after being confirmed by the Senate.

“The goal of U.S. Africa Command is to help build the capacity of African nations and African organizations,” the Defense Department said in a July 10 news release.

Ward has been a U.S. Army officer since 1971. From March to December 2005, he was designated by the secretary of state as U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority. He also has commanded the NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia and commanded an infantry brigade in Somalia in the early 1990s. In addition, he has served at the U.S. Embassy in Egypt and, early in his career, commanded an infantry company in the Republic of Korea.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)