Cost: WACDC Members: $10 Non-Members: $15

Description: The new United States African Command, AFRICOM, was created on February 6, 2007 to address “the emerging strategic importance of Africa, ...recognizing that peace and stability on the continent impacts not only Africans, but the interests of the US and international community as well.” Despite these goals, the US Department of Defense has been criticized for overstepping its boundaries by combining its military operations with diplomatic elements. Others hold that the security of many African states may be highly dependent on AFRICOM. Please join the Council and our panelists to discuss AFRICOM's implications for the African continent. Moderator Sean McFate: Program Director, Bi-Partisan Policy Center Panelists Gayle Smith: Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Ambassador (ret) Mark Bellamy: Senior Fellow, Africa Program and International Security at CSIS Major General Arnold Fields, USMC (ret): National Defense University