ISS Seminar Pretoria, The United States` Security Policy in Africa and the Role of AFRICOM

Date: 2011-10-28

Venue: , ISS Conference Room , Block C , Brooklyn Court , 361 Veale Street , New Muckleneuk , Pretoria

RSVP:
Sarah Malefo
Tel: 012 346 9500
Fax: 012 460 0997

Four years after its creation, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has turned out to be considerably different from what the Pentagon originally envisioned and what critics on both the African continent and in the United States originally perceived. Having quickly foresworn locating its headquarters in Africa, AFRICOM has adopted a unique, broadly focused approach designed to be appropriately suited and scaled for assisting African nations and regional organizations build the indigenous capacity to provide their own security.  This approach combines expertise from across the U.S. Government and is focused on the premise that the best way the United States can protect its security interests from threats emanating from Africa is to help Africans help themselves.

AFRICOM`s civilian Deputy on detail from the State Department, Ambassador Holmes will both present a non-military insider`s perspective on AFRICOM, as well as answer questions from the audience.  He will provide information and examples about what AFRICOM is and is not, separate facts from rumors and fiction, and deal directly with the misconceptions and misapprehensions that have surrounded AFRICOM since it was announced in 2007.