Skepticism Greets New US Africa Command

Senegalese port workers prepare for the arrival of the USS Fort McHenry, a landing dock ship on a half-year training exercise through the Gulf of Guinea, at the port in Dakar, Senegal Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. Just a few years ago, the U.S. military was all but absent from the oil-rich waters of West Africa's Gulf of Guinea. This year, it plans to be there every day. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (Rebecca Blackwell - AP)

Analysts said there has been criticism of the command within the U.S. government itself, notably from State Department officials.

Shillinger said some officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development worry their humanitarian programs could be "stigmatized" by direct links with the military, which has melded aid programs with combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan _ wars unpopular in most of Africa.

Moeller said the command's relationship with Africa and other U.S. agencies will be "collaborative." It will "not be taking the lead" in aid operations or U.S. policy, he said.

For now, Africom has just over 200 staff members, and is based in Stuttgart, Germany.

Moeller said where it is established is an issue to be decided with "our African partners." Instead of one central headquarters, there may be smaller offices in five regions, each with one or two dozen staff, officials said.

Theresa Whelan, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs, estimates 80 percent of the command's eventual staff of around 800 will be based outside Africa.

"Having a presence on the continent in some form is certainly a goal," Moeller said. But "ultimately it has to be agreed to by the Africans."

The USS Fort McHenry, an amphibious dock landing ship, can skirt the issue. The self-sustaining, helicopter-equipped warship can serve as a mobile base for training African forces in maritime security _ and move on.