2007 Press Releases

U.S. Delegation Meeting with Kenya Government on Role of U.S. African Command

April 18, 2007

A senior U.S. government delegation met today with Kenyan military and foreign ministry officials in Nairobi to discuss the role of U.S. African Command, and to solicit Kenyan input on the way forward. The trip is a follow-up to the announcement of the new regional command by President Bush in February.

U.S. Africa Command, known as AFRICOM, is intended to give the U.S. a more focused approach to U.S. security and developmental programs on the continent. At present, three different U.S. regional command headquarters maintain relationships with countries in Africa.

"We're here to listen," said Theresa Whelan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs, who led the delegation in Kenya. "While we have broad outlines for what AFRICOM should be, we want to get input from our African partners before we proceed."

U.S. officials intend for Africa Command to be different than other U.S. military regional commands, seeking a greater mix of diplomatic, developmental, and economic experts, representing a wider range of U.S. government agencies on the staff.