Corps weighs merits of Africa task force

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Maj. John K. Jarrard, Company Commander with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Division, answers questions during an observation session with an international group of African military leaders in Bembereke, Benin on June 16.


Corps weighs merits of Africa task force
By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jan 3, 2010 8:28:38 EST

Talks are underway to add a special-purpose Marine air-ground task force to U.S. Africa Command, a move that would center on expanding efforts to train African militaries, officials say.

The plan is “purely in the conceptual phase,” said Master Sgt. Grady Fontana, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Africa, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. “… It’s just something that people are talking about as a way that can help support Africa Command.”

MAGTFs are quick-reaction units that range in size. The smallest comprise only a handful of troops, while the largest include thousands. Media reports published in December suggest as many as 1,000 Marines could be stationed in Europe as part of an AfriCom MAGTF, though neither the Marine Corps nor AfriCom would confirm how large this task force could be.

And both entities were careful when speculating about future basing options, saying only that prospective locations are being studied and that Europe, with its established infrastructure and proximity to Africa, is a logical contender. Locating a MAGTF on the African continent is not an option, officials said, even though Marines already deploy to Camp Lemonier, a joint expeditionary base in Djibouti, just north of Somalia.

“It’s phenomenally diplomatically sensitive when you start talking about stationing troops in Africa,” said Vince Crawley, a spokesman for AfriCom.


Rest of article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/01/marines_africom_010310w/