A New Commander
A New Commander for the U.S. Army for Europe and Africa is nominated
One valid criticism of the Trump Administration has been the use of temporary or acting leaders in key positions of agencies and some military commands. However, the Administration should receive kudos for moving to fill a key position.
On July 23rd, the Pentagon announced that Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral would be the next leader tasked with leading the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Theater. He replaces Gen Christopher Donahue who served for 18 months (about 1 and a half years) before surprisingly stepping down earlier this month. During this interim period, Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie led the command.
Currently Gen Admiral is the commander of both III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas. Previously he commanded the 1st Calvary Division at Fort Hood and in Poland. He also served as director of force management in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7.
This command is one of the key leadership posts in the US Military. The total number of countries that it interacts with for exercises and other situations is 104. The total covers both Europe and Africa.
There are a couple of areas in Africa that Lt. Gen. Admiral will most likely be asked about what operations in the future will look like. The most obvious questions will arise regarding Nigeria. Since Christmas Day Eve 2025, the US has launched missile strikes against militants, deployed Special Forces and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms to the country. We know that the Special Forces have left Nigeria and have been deployed to Cameroon as well.
This move should not surprise the casual observer as the security challenges within Cameroon mirror the challenges taking place in Nigeria. In several instances, the same nefarious actors are presenting the same risk factors in both countries. At the bare minimum, Lt. Gen. Admiral should be expected to provide an update regarding plans for capacity building in both countries.
Another area where the General’s input will be expected will be the new AFRICOM (Africa Command) Security Strategy that was released in Addis Ababa on July 27th.
The strategy was unveiled during the African Logistics Communications Symposium has the goal of expanding military cooperation, improving defense logistics systems and strengthening security partnerships with African countries. One motivation for this new strategy is the growing concern within Washington over the improved capabilities of armed groups operating across Africa.
The focal points of the strategy are military supply chains, secure communications, cooperation between armed forces, defense training and what U.S. Officials described as broader economic partnerships linked to security development. Based on what was stated in Addis and since the U.S. Army organizes most of the land-based exercises that the U.S. organizes with their partners in Africa this promises to be some interesting feedback provided by Lt. Gen. Admiral.
At the symposium Ervin J. Massinga the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia outlined what can be construed as the diplomatic objectives of the United States. The Ambassador stated, “Washington wants to work with African Countries as equal partners while supporting priorities established by those governments.”
The Ambassador would further state “U.S. cooperation will focus on strengthening security institutions, improving military training programs and supporting effective defense procurement systems”. This is another avenue where the new commander should expect to field some interesting and potentially challenging questions.