With the incoming Administration, there is more justification for hope than ever before that the U.S. will focus more clearly on human rights concerns. However, given the degree to which many of the practices of the U.S. military are institutionalized, it will takes a great deal of optimism to hope that the U.S. will dismantle AFRICOM, or that if AFRICOM engages in military action in an African nation that it will not use cluster bombs.

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) becomes fully operational and will take over all U.S military operations in Africa. Mauro De-Lorenzo is a resident fellow for foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute says “AFRICOM would bolster Africa’s security situation”.
Take a listen.
Peter Clottey (VOA)

The American government is spending far more on military activity in Africa than it is on civil development assistance creating a civil-military imbalance. Over the past several years this imbalance has grown enormously. Photo: Lieutenant Colonel Terry VandenDolder, U.S. Africa Command

In October the International Peace Operations Association, IPOA, the trade association that lobbies for mercenaries, will meet in Washington DC for their 2008 Annual Convention. The theme of their annual conference is: Engaging AFRICOM
In Dogs of War: Back to Africa, David Isenberg asks:
Where does the future lie for the private military industry? (When) Iraq, [...]

Crossed Crocodiles (crossedcrocodiles.blogspot.com) is a personal blog of Xcroc, one of the contributing authors on AfricanLoft; Xcroc has been quite vocal on the AFRICOM discussions, here and on his blog.
It is strange and disturbing to read his blog latest entry, titled: “Censored by Google Alerts - Crossed Crocodiles on AFRICOM”.
He states after [...]

PODCAST: The chief of the new U.S. military command for Africa [AFRICOM] says he will invite African military officers to serve at his headquarters, once the operation gets up and running. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Al Pessin interviewed the commander, General William Ward.
Take a listen:

Talk of a single AFRICOM headquarters has changed…the US military is considering ’sea-basing’ - a hybrid system-of-systems consisting of concepts of operations, ships, forces, offensive and defensive weapons, aircraft, communications and logistics.

After much heated debate, the US military has decided to keep the headquarters of its new Africa Command in Germany, after only one African nation, Liberia, offered to host it… “The US plan had been misunderstood by some African countries, Gen Ward, AFRICOM’s commander told the BBC.
The AFRICOM topic has been well discussed here on [...]

Nigeria Guardian:
It is not in the United States (U.S.) agenda to site its pet defence project, African Command (AFRICOM), in Nigeria, the country’s new ambassador to the country, Robin Renee Sanders, has said.
She said that claims that America plans to locate the controversial military base in Nigeria were very far from the truth.
In a statement [...]

Many of the best U.S government intelligence workers have quit the government under President Bush, and gone into private corporations. And many former soldiers, experienced special ops, and retired officers have done this as well. Private Military Corporations, PMCs, mercenaries, people who fight or spy for private gain, are a growth industry. The Iraq war will inevitably wind down, and these corporations need new contracts and new jobs. They are looking to Africa…AFRICOM can be the pass through vehicle for covert actions and “off the books” operations, “security assistance programs”… and it does not need troops for this mission.