Nuova tappa del processo di penetrazione militare degli Stati Uniti nel continente africano. A meno di due mesi dalla costituzione di Africom, il Comando delle forze armate statunitensi per le operazioni in Africa, il Pentagono has set up at the Panzer Kaserne of Boeblingen, Germany, a new headquarters of the Forces of the Marine Corps. This is the special command, "MARFORAF," which will be responsible for planning and directing all future activities of the U.S. Marines in Africa.
MARFORAF will work in conjunction with the authorities of Africom who settled in a military complex in Stuttgart, a city that lies a few kilometers from Boeblingen. "The new command of the Marine Corps - said Col. Mario Lapaix, MARFORAF chief of staff - will provide assistance and coordinate with the mission of AFRICOM to promote national security objectives of the United States continent. " Up to now had been the centers of the Marine Corps in North Carolina, the Pacific and Europe to divide responsibilities and control functions of the departments sent for short missions in Africa. As a consequence of qualitative and quantitative operations of the Marines, the Pentagon decided to create a completely self-center. For now operate in the same infrastructure that hosts USMARFOREUR military, the command of Marine Corps forces in Europe, but it is likely that within a year MARFORAF will be transferred in one of African countries allied with Washington or European base in a geographically closest to the mainland . The main strategic objective of the new command of the Marines will "support the fight against terrorism to reduce the threat of violent extremism-related organizations," as stated by Colonel Lapaix. MARFORAF is already planning a busy schedule of interventions, particularly training activities and operational planning support to the armed forces of most African nations. "When it is necessary and will be required - added Lapaix - Marforio participate in peacekeeping operations and humanitarian interventions in the continent."
The Marines have also planned for early 2009 conducting two large multinational exercises, "African Lion "and" Shared Accord. " This is an exercise that takes place on an annual basis for some time, the 2008 has had its headquarters last June in Ghana and was attended by about 300 U.S. Marines next to the Marines of the country host. Marfori also plans to send special forces to training provided for under the sea '"Africa Partnership Station, APS, the naval force that the United States has stationed in West Africa to work together with military units in six countries of the . Marine unit will participate regularly in the "makeup is" (African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance), the top U.S. training, assistance and military equipment to African nations. As announced by Washington, as early as next year, "small groups of Marines at the level of platoons and squadrons", presiding centers and operational bases on the continent. The first of these departments will reach Liberia, a country that was home - in March 2008 - a step in the West Africa Training Cruise, the training cruise in West Africa U.S. Navy. On that occasion the staff of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps built a series of infrastructure in Monrovia port furniture, useful docking and loading and discharge of naval vessels.
parallel to the formation of two new commands and Marfori AFRICOM, the Bush administration in Africa is implementing a long list of small terrestrial infrastructure, airports and shipyards to be "occupied" and used by the U.S. departments in a crisis . Naval units of the Fifth Fleet based in the Persian Gulf have been diverted to the coast of Somalia to compete with the fleets of NATO and the European Union to "fight against piracy and the protection of merchant ships. The U.S. Coast Guard has also decided to send their units to monitor the most important sea routes on the continent, while a department aircraft based in the Sicilian port of Sigonella work in intelligence functions and "anti-terrorism" in the Sahara and Sahel regions.
U.S. strategists are also considering where to move within two to three years the command Africom, now in Stuttgart. Morocco, Djibouti and Liberia have offered their willingness to host it, but if financial reasons or for "security" we do not recommend the African position on the ground, would be ready alternatives European Rota (Cadiz, Spain) or Naples. A further confirmation of the growing geo-strategic interest of the United States for the area, the commander of naval forces in Europe with Headquartered in Naples-Capodichino, also took the role of "commander for naval operations in Africa."
Agoravox.it Article published in November 17, 2008
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