{"id":36861,"date":"2021-02-24T00:53:55","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T00:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/24\/new-four-star-command-allows-us-general-to-coordinate-closely-with-nato-allies-in-africa\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:19:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:19:31","slug":"new-four-star-command-allows-us-general-to-coordinate-closely-with-nato-allies-in-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2021\/02\/24\/new-four-star-command-allows-us-general-to-coordinate-closely-with-nato-allies-in-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"New four-star command allows US general to \u2018coordinate closely\u2019 with NATO allies in Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moving troops between Africa and Europe during a crisis is expected to be streamlined after the U.S. Army command bridging the regions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2020\/10\/28\/upcoming-merger-gives-army-africa-more-advocacy-in-washington-two-star-says\/\" target=_blank>combined into a four-star headquarters<\/a> late last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The consolidation is also an acknowledgment that the security situation between the two continents is \u201cinextricably linked,\u201d said U.S. Army Europe and Africa commander Gen. Christopher Cavoli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe close geography and economic ties between the two continents means that regional security issues, left unchecked, quickly spread from one area to another,\u201d Cavoli said during a telephone call with reporters Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis consolidation enables greater synchronization of operations in Africa with our NATO allies here in Europe, many of whom have very important security concerns and security interests in Africa,\u201d Cavoli added. \u201cSo this is a very big advance, both north of the Mediterranean and south of the Mediterranean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That security situation includes violent extremist groups in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/03\/10\/efforts-to-combat-violent-extremist-groups-in-sahel-region-are-not-getting-the-job-done-says-africom-leader\/\" target=_blank>Sahel region<\/a>, like al-Shabaab and Boko Haram. The impact of climate change on the <a href=\"https:\/\/climateandsecurity.org\/2018\/03\/africom-commander-on-climate-change-sahel-receding-almost-a-mile-per-year\/\" target=_blank>Sahel\u2019s grasslands <\/a>also poses resource challenges and could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crisisgroup.org\/africa\/sahel\/b154-le-sahel-central-theatre-des-nouvelles-guerres-climatiques\" target=_blank>increase insecurity <\/a>among people there.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2020\/03\/24\/army-advisers-still-in-africa-following-spike-in-combat\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6082556.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Army advisers in Africa following spike in combat<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cSpecial Forces is very good at training tactical-type units; They\u2019re very good at accompanying tactical-type units,&quot; McConville said. \u201cBut SFABs build a professional military force, which is different.&quot;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">French forces have been running a counter-terrorism mission in the Sahel since 2014. The French have suffered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gouv.fr\/english\/operations\/in-memoriam\" target=_blank>dozens of casualties<\/a> in Mali, and a few in Burkina Faso and Chad. U.S. forces, meanwhile, provide aerial intelligence gathering, mid-air refueling and logistical support to the French mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cavoli and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2020\/10\/28\/upcoming-merger-gives-army-africa-more-advocacy-in-washington-two-star-says\/\" target=_blank>Maj. Gen. Andrew Rohling<\/a>, who helms the newly minted Southern European Task Force, held a press conference to discuss the merger, as well as African Lion in June \u2014 a military exercise in Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, involving about about 10,000 troops and 20 partner nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3824\" height=\"2577\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6082557.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-73508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6082557.jpg.jpg 3824w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6082557.jpg.jpg?resize=300,202 300w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6082557.jpg.jpg?resize=768,518 768w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6082557.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,690 1024w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6082557.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1035 1536w, https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6082557.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1380 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3824px) 100vw, 3824px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Army Soldiers from Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and Soldiers from the 492nd Engineer Company, work on a construction project together in east Africa, Jan. 20, 2020. Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division are assigned to the East Africa Response Force and provide the ability to rapidly respond to events spanning a vast area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn White)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty scalable exercise,\u201d Rohling said. \u201cSo if between now and the execution in June we continue to have challenges with COVID, we\u2019ll scale the exercise up or down to fit accordingly. But in the end, we\u2019re going to have a good training opportunity and it\u2019ll be good for all the allies that are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">African Lion is the largest U.S. Army exercise on the continent and will stress the interoperability between forces from a range of different nations. It\u2019s also an opportunity for the newly merged U.S. command to test out moving troops and equipment between Europe and Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll of these will help us to increase the capabilities of our partners in counter-terrorism efforts and help them be pivotal players that confront the issues across Africa today,\u201d Rohling said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Italian forces were brought into a command-and-control role during the U.S.-led African Lion exercise for the first time. The merger has also helped Cavoli complement European efforts in Africa, such as a new initiative the French are starting in Senegal called the Partner Armies in West Africa Coordination Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/04\/16\/how-us-troops-survived-a-little-known-al-qaeda-raid-in-mali-two-years-ago\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"176\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screen-Shot-2020-04-15-at-17.06.26.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">How US troops survived a little-known al-Qaeda raid in Mali two years ago<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The assault included rockets, mortars, car bombs and roughly 30 militants disguised in Malian Army and UN peacekeeper uniforms.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was talking with the chief of the French Army about this just the other day,\u201d Cavoli said. \u201cThey\u2019re setting up this center where &#8230; willing nations will come in and coordinate our security assistance activities to make sure that we\u2019re as efficient and as effective as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Army Europe and Africa merger will hopefully help whisk units in and out of Africa during crises, which have included deadly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2019\/06\/06\/survivors-and-fallen-soldiers-of-niger-ambush-awarded-valor-medals-but-questions-linger\/\" target=_blank>attacks against U.S. patrols<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2020\/01\/23\/101st-airborne-deployed-to-manda-bay-after-al-shabab-attack\/\" target=_blank>outposts <\/a>in Niger and Kenya in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, based out of Vicenza, Italy, traveled in January to Somalia as part of a security exercise that flexed troops to Mogadishu International Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The six-week mission was the brigade\u2019s first significant deployment to Africa since it was reactivated in 2000, and is part of what brigade officials expect to be a growing role on the continent, Stars and Stripes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/news\/europe\/173rd-airborne-brigade-expects-renewed-emphasis-on-africa-following-somalia-deployment-1.662493\" target=_blank>reported<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen an emergency situation arises and the U.S. Army is asked to assist, we can look at and access assets already on this side of the world, both in Africa and in Europe, to decide how best to support the mission,\u201d Rohling said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Close geography and economic ties between Africa and Europe means that regional security issues can quickly spread across the regions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":45377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":47,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,11,47,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3374],"class_list":["post-36861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-mideast-africa","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"6GHC3YKF5NFQRMBXXK5ZTEIIMQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-army\/2021\/02\/24\/new-four-star-command-allows-us-general-to-coordinate-closely-with-nato-allies-in-africa\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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