Africom's visit to the Commission (continued)

(BRUSSELS2) Not content with taking an interest in EU crisis management instruments (1), the General Sherlock and Ambassador Holmes of Africom had a long meeting, at the beginning of March, "on the other side of the street", with DG Development.

Long term maintenance (nearly 4 hours), and at the highest level since it brought together the main security experts of the DG around the Director General, Stefano Manservini. The Americans know the path of the Commission well. Several contacts had already taken place between European civilians and American soldiers. " It started in the last months of the Bush administration. We have received an express request from Africom. And, since then, they come to visit us regularly (at least 3 times). For their part, "the Europeans" traveled, on one occasion, to Garmisch (*) to meet their counterparts from Africom. A fairly close relationship that does not currently exist with any other state (only India has shown an interest, but no more concretely for the moment).

Lamerican interest ? " Understand the EU approach to security and governance, in particular the methodology on security sector reform (SSR). “Americans see a” enormous complementarity between their action to support the capacities of the African Union, to train the armies of several African countries and that which (the Europeans) are carrying out", particularly in terms of training the brigades of the African Union standby force or the AmaniAfrica operation (new name for EuroRecamp, a French initiative originally "Europeanized"). They have a "security and development" mandate and are looking for added value in the EU: what European action can be integrated where they exercise military action - over which they want to remain in control (they insist on their "ownership" explained to me an interlocutor) —, for example the European contribution in terms of structuring or reforming the police, justice... which they cannot carry out, due to the military status and mandate of Africom. " We feel a great coherence in the American projects testifies a participant in the meeting. For the Europeans, this cooperation is also essential. “It is in everyone's interest to work on the same peace and security agenda on the African continent. It is in our interest to sing the same score. »

And now : the Americans have returned to their "African" HQ in...Stuttgart. They will report back to Washington and draw up a list of priorities suitable for starting pilot projects in cooperation with the EU. In any case, on the European side, and we would like to get down to business and stop giving American officials "training in European affairs". « We are now waiting for a specific proposal on the American side.

Note that the community budget supports many security projects, an illustration of this "global" policy of the EU which interests Americans so much. Starting with support for Amisom (UN forces in Somalia): 60 million euros released from the Peace Facility in 2008-2010 (15 million over the previous period, but not everything seems was not spent due to the unstable situation in Mogadishu). Another project concerns the development of regional maritime capabilities, and support for the process initiated with the Djibouti code.

(*) Africom's headquarters are in Stuttgart. But in Garmisch, a US Army garrison is still present. And the Americans often hold training sessions there. And the NATO school is also located there