United States Africa Command Public Affairs Office 6 October 2011

USAFRICOM - related news stories

Good morning. Please find attached news clips related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa, along with upcoming events of interest for October 6, 2011. Of interest in todays clips, Al-Qaida-linked militants in Somalia threatened more terror attacks that will "increase day by day" after a suicide bomber killed 72 people, while the International Committee of the Red Cross has begun distributing food to tens of thousands of drought and war-affected people in southern and central Somalia. Secretary of Defense Panetta urged NATO for more cooperation on much-needed defense spending in order not to hollow out this alliance. Secretary Panettas complete remarks at the ministerial are included, in which he cited that while NATO's efforts in Afghanistan and Libya show the necessity and effectiveness of the alliance, they also illustrate growing gaps that must be addressed. Secretary Panetta also announced the stationing of United States Aegis ships at Rota Naval Base in Spain in support of missile defense efforts, mentioning that the ships could also be used to support U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Central Command. It is reported that U.S. officials are still confused about why Libyas stockpile of new, advanced SA-24 Grinch man-portable air defense systems (Manpads) were not fired at NATO aircraft during the battle to oust Muammar Qadhafi. The White House issued a memorandum Tuesday evening to allow military funding to Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Chad, three of the six countries on the State Department's list of foreign governments that recruit and use child soldiers in state-backed armed forces and militias.

U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs Please send questions or comments to: africom-pao@africom.mil 421-2687 (+49-711-729-2687) -------------------------------------------Top News related to U.S. Africa Command and Africa

Somalia: Militants Vow To Up Attacks After Bombing (AP) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/somalia-militants-attack_n_996505.html By Abdi Guled and Malkhadir M. Muhumed MOGADISHU, Somalia Al-Qaida-linked militants threatened more terror attacks that will "increase day by day" after a suicide bomber killed 72 people. Mourners transported coffins atop cars Wednesday to funerals for those who perished in al-Shabab's deadliest bomb attack in Somalia. Can Somalia's Islamist militants retake Mogadishu? (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15188762 5 October 2011 By Farouk Chothia, BBC African Service Despite the recent setbacks Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab has suffered on the battlefield, it has shown that it still has the capacity to strike in the heart of the capital, Mogadishu. ICRC Starts Huge Food Distribution Operation In Somalia (VOA News) http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/New-Food-Distribution-in-Famine-HitSomalia-131134108.html By VOA News GENEVA -- The International Committee of the Red Cross has begun distributing food to tens of thousands of drought and war-affected people in southern and central Somalia. Panetta Exhorts European NATO Members to Share Defense Spending (NY Times) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/world/panetta-exhorts-european-nato-members-toshare-defense-spending.html 5 October 2011 By Steven Erlanger BRUSSELS With the Pentagon facing severe budget cuts, Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta appealed to European members of NATO on Wednesday to heed the lessons of the Libya war and cooperate on much-needed defense spending in order not to hollow out this alliance. Remarks by Secretary Panetta at Carnegie Europe, Brussels, Belgium http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4895 5 October 2011 Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta addressed NATO Defense Ministers yesterday, stating that the Libya operation revealed significant shortfalls in capabilities and the United States had made up the difference by deploying targeters and critical enabling capabilities such as tankers and ISR platforms. Without these capabilities, he said, the Libya operation would have had a very difficult time getting off the ground or been sustained. NATO defence ministers meet to debate ending Libyan air war (The Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/05/nato-debates-ending-libyawar?newsfeed=true 5 October 2011

By Julian Borger BRUSSELS -- NATO defence ministers are to debate on Thursday when to declare an end to the air war in Libya amid concerns over the mounting cost of the campaign and the vagueness of the alliance's war aims. High-End Missiles Missing From Libya (Aviation Week) http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aerospacedaily&id =news/asd/2011/10/05/01.xml&headline=HighEnd%20Missiles%20Missing%20From%20Libya 5 October 2011 By David A. Fulghum U.S. officials are still confused about why Libyas stockpile of new, advanced SA-24 Grinch man-portable air defense systems (Manpads) were not fired at NATO aircraft during the battle to oust Moammar Gadhafi. The weapons are perhaps the most sophisticated, light, anti-aircraft missiles made by Russia, and they are certainly the most sought after by insurgents shopping the black market. Face of Defense: Togo Native Returns to Africa as U.S. Soldier (Defense.gov) http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=65560 5 October 2011 By Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti During a recent civil affairs mission through Djibouti, Army Reserve Cpl. Kwami Koto information manager for Civil Affairs Team 4902 here -- was able to articulate his connection to the African continent and its people. Obama Waives Child Soldier Ban in Yemen and Congo (ABC News) http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/obama-waives-child-soldier-ban-yemencongo/story?id=14663930&page=2 5 October 2011 By Avni Patel Tens of millions of dollars of U.S. military financing will continue to flow to Yemen and three other countries that recruit and use child soldiers, despite a 2008 U.S. law designed to restrict U.S. taxpayer funding of foreign militaries that enlist children to fight in war. Nigeria Pursuing Link Between Al-Qaida, Boko Haram http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Nigeria-Pursuing-Link-Between-Al-QaidaBoko-Haram-130978233.html 3 October 2011 Scott Stearns DAKAR, Senegal -- Nigeria's government says Islamic militants in northern states are linked to al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists in the Sahel and in Somalia. Senior African Army Officers Begin Study Tour (The New Times) http://allafrica.com/stories/201110040721.html 4 October 2011

KIGALI, Rwanda -- Senior African officers, currently enrolled at the Zambian Defence Services Command and Staff College are in the country for a week-long study tour. The 16 officers from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Malawi, are in the country as part of their regional study tour to enhance their strategic military awareness. Tunisia, United States Relaunch Trade Talks (State Department) http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2011/10/20111005163200tegdirb0.5763 47.html#axzz1ZqJ9D1HT 5 October 2011 WASHINGTON The United States is re-engaging Tunisia in trade and investment discussions aimed at supporting that North African countrys transition to democracy. US will station Aegis cruisers in Spain as part of the missile defense plan for Europe (Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/us-will-station-aegis-cruisers-in-spain-aspart-of-the-missile-defense-plan-for-europe/2011/10/05/gIQAfupSNL_story.html 5 October 2011 By The Associated Press BRUSSELS The Obama administration and the Spanish government have agreed to base Aegis Cruisers on Spains coast, as part of the anti-ballistic missile defense system to protect Europe against a potential Iranian nuclear threat, officials said Wednesday. ### UN News Service Africa Briefs http://www.un.org/apps/news/region.asp?Region=AFRICA (Full Articles on UN Website) UN expert calls for added protection of civilians after suicide attack in Somalia 5 October A United Nations independent expert on human rights called today on the international community to deploy a supplementary force to protect Somali civilians after yesterdays deadly suicide bombing in Mogadishu that left at least 65 people dead and more than 150 others injured. Darfurian armed group makes commitment to UN to stop using child soldiers 5 October A faction of one of the armed groups in Darfur has agreed to prohibit the use of child soldiers in its ranks after discussions with the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Sudanese region (UNAMID), the mission reported today. South Sudan becomes Member State of UN telecoms union 5 October South Sudan has become the 193rd Member State of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the agency announced today. Sudan: UN warns of looming food crisis in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states

5 October The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today called for urgent action and funding to prevent a looming crisis in Sudans Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states, where the latest fighting combined with erratic rainfall has doomed next months harvest. ### Upcoming Events of Interest: WHAT: House Armed Services Committees Panel on Defense Financial Management and Auditability Reform TOPIC: Is the Financial Management Workforce Positioned to Achieve DODs Financial Improvement Goals? WHEN: Thursday, October 6, 2011, at 8 a.m. BRIEFERS: Ms Sandra A. Gregory, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Office of Financial Workforce Management, U.S. Department of Defense; The Honorable Mary Sally Matiella, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller), Department of the Army; The Honorable Gladys J. Commons, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller), Department of the Navy; The Honorable Jamie M. Morin, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management and Comptroller), Department of the Air Force WHERE: Rayburn House Office Building - 2118 MORE INFORMATION: http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearingsdisplay?ContentRecord_id=8a20a682-e6ab-41a4-8b2ccb8e036821e0&ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d3556cc7152a7ed&Group_id=13e47ffa-0753-47a7-ad5e1ba7592015c9&MonthDisplay=10&YearDisplay=2011 WHAT: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) Discussion on PostRevolutionary Egypt: New Trends in Islam. Speakers: Jonathan Brown; Khalid Elgindy; Nathan J. Brown; and Marina Ottaway. WHERE: CEIP, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW WHEN: Thursday, October 6, 2011, 12:00 1:30 p.m. CONTACT: 202-483-7600; web site: www.carnegieendowment.org NOTE: Register at: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/forms/?fa=registration&event=3388 SOURCE: CEIP event announcement at: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2011/10/06/post-revolutionary-egypt-new-trends-inislam/597t ###

New on www.africom.mil Kenya, U.S. Build, Dedicate School

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7300&lang=0 5 October 2011 By U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Stephen Linch CJTF-HOA Public Affairs MKOKONI, Kenya A year of anticipation gave way to children dancing and singing during the Mkokoni Primary School dedication at Mkokoni, Kenya, September 21, 2011. "Our children will now be afforded a better education," said Charles Mzee Joseph, Mkokoni Primary School head teacher. Secretary Details NATO Successes, Challenges http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7301&lang=0 5 October 2011 By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service BRUSSELS -- As it nears the end of a successful campaign in Libya and deliberately accomplishes shared goals in Afghanistan, NATO faces several difficult challenges, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in Brussels, Belgium, October 5, 2011. The secretary addressed a gathering hosted by the Carnegie Europe Center, part of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Caring For Those Who Serve: Red Cross Opens First Station on Camp Lemonnier http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7302&lang=0 5 October 2011 By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Public Affairs CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti -- The American Red Cross opened the doors to its first station in Africa, September 28, 2011, as part of an ongoing effort to provide quality service to military members and civilian employees at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FULLTEXT Somalia: Militants Vow To Up Attacks After Bombing (AP) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/somalia-militants-attack_n_996505.html 5 October 2011 By Abdi Guled and Malkhadir M. Muhumed MOGADISHU, Somalia Al-Qaida-linked militants threatened more terror attacks that will "increase day by day" after a suicide bomber killed 72 people. Mourners transported coffins atop cars Wednesday to funerals for those who perished in al-Shabab's deadliest bomb attack in Somalia. A truck loaded with drums of fuel exploded Tuesday at the gate of a building housing several government ministries in a busy street in the capital where tens of thousands of famine victims have fled. The attack came more than a month after most al-Shabab

fighters melted away from Mogadishu amid a pro-government offensive, and showed that the insurgents remain a severe threat. "At this time, when the country is in the midst of a worsening humanitarian crisis, the terrorists could not have attacked the Somali people at a worst time," Information Minister Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed said. Al-Shabab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage identified the suicide bomber as Somali student Bashar Abdullahi Nur. He said the attack was a warning to those who thought the group had left Mogadishu for good in August. "We wish to inform the Muslim people that the campaign against infidels will be back-toback and by God's grace will increase day by day and will increase in the coming hours," Rage said. "I will give a good tiding to the infidels: You will face big and broad blows." In a prerecorded farewell interview with al-Shabab radio station, the bomber said: "It will be a big blow to the heart of the enemy." Tuesday's thunderous blast covered the city in dust more than a half-mile (800 meters) away and left blackened corpses sprawled amid burning vehicles and dozens wounded. Somalia's Ministry of Health said in a statement Wednesday that 72 people had been killed and more than 100 were wounded, including 38 still in serious condition. "May Allah put them in hell," one Somali woman sobbed as a young man tried to comfort her. She then collapsed near the coffin of her dead son that was placed by a sandy grave. Sadiya Omar, who lost her husband in Tuesday's bombing, left the scene of the funeral before he was interred, saying it was more than she could bear. "The world will get no peace while killers like al-Shabab are still here," she cried, her tears dripping through her black veil. President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed declared three days of mourning and vowed late Tuesday that his government would put in place security measures to avert future bombings. "I'm sure the crime they committed against the Somali people will not go unpunished," Ahmed said of the al-Shabab militants. "God will punish them and the government will take appropriate measures to save the Somali people from those dangers." However, Ahmed's government does not have sufficient troops or police to secure the capital city, and neither does the more than 9,000 strong African Union peacekeeping force that supports his regime.

Somali expert Ken Menkhaus said in a recent interview that al-Shabab's withdrawal from the city would overextend the AU forces, exposing the government's inability to hold and govern territory and allowing the militants to mount hit-and-run attacks. The head of the African Union peacekeepers appealed for more troops in August to secure Mogadishu following the al-Shabab's withdrawal. Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha said that since the withdrawal, his forces cover a larger area and risk being overstretched. He said the deployment of 3,000 extra troops authorized by the U.N. Security Council should be hastened. Tuesday's blast killed students and their parents who were gathered around a notice board to learn about the result of scholarships offered by the Turkish government. "It shows their barbarism and how hell-bent they're to hit the public where it hearts most," he said. "We can certainly say their ideology is directed at annihilating Somali people. What they're targeting is the education." Mugisha, the commander of the African Union Mission to Somalia force, known as AMISOM, said the attack targeted several Somali government institutions. Al-Shabab said it was striking government officials and foreigners referring to AU peacekeeping troops. The U.N. Security Council called the attack a "heinous crime." In Washington, White House press secretary Jay Carney said it was a "despicable and cowardly act." Somalia has been mired in violence since 1991, plunging the country into a chaos that sprouted militants and piracy off the coast of Horn of Africa nation. ### Can Somalia's Islamist militants retake Mogadishu? (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15188762 5 October 2011 By Farouk Chothia, BBC African Service Despite the recent setbacks Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab has suffered on the battlefield, it has shown that it still has the capacity to strike in the heart of the capital, Mogadishu. A suicide bomber killed more than 75 people after detonating a truck laden with explosives outside government buildings in Kilometre Four (K4) - a busy crossroads in central Mogadishu. Among the dead and injured were many students waiting to see if they had gained a scholarship to study in Turkey.

"The scale of the attack has been a surprise to everybody," says Matt Bryden, a UN investigator on al-Shabab. "We haven't seen anything this large for a number of years." Two months ago, al-Shabab announced that it was withdrawing its fighters from Mogadishu in the face of a sustained assault from African Union (AU) and government troops. AU commander in Somalia Analysts said al-Shabab - which has up to 9,000 fighters - was no longer able to engage in street battles with the better-equipped AU troops, who also number about 9,000. It therefore withdrew to focus on the bombing campaigns for which it has gained notoriety. "What was surprising was that al-Shabab does not seem to have learnt from past experience. The attack will cause a public backlash. It will hardly do the movement any good," says Mr Bryden. The explosion happened at a time when al-Shabab's credibility among Somalis is already low because of the famine that has hit the southern and central areas under its control. Tens of thousands of people have defied al-Shabab by fleeing their homes in search of food, blaming the group for the hunger crisis . It has refused the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and other Western aid agencies permission to distribute food in its areas, accusing them of being anti-Islamic and of being infiltrated by US and UK intelligence agencies. AU troop reliance But analysts say al-Shabab is actually divided over whether to allow in the aid agencies. In fact, the International Committee of the Red Cross has just negotiated the delivery of aid for farmers and pastoralists deep into some al-Shabab areas. Leaders with a constituency in famine-hit areas - especially Muktar Ali Robow, who comes from the southern Lower Shabelle region, once the breadbasket of Somalia favour accepting Western aid. However, they are strongly opposed by the overall leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, a northerner who has led al-Shabab into forging close ties with al-Qaeda.

"The attack may sharpen differences between the constituency-based and constituencyfree al-Shabab, which is made up of northerners, foreign fighters and ideological hardliners," Mr Bryden says. Other analysts say the attack also reflects poorly on the AU-backed government: Despite al-Shabab's withdrawal from the capital's streets, it has failed to improve security with no troops guarding the busy crossroads at the time of the blast. "The AU has a vast area to cover. K4 is usually considered to be a relatively secure area," Mr Bryden says. The AU mission in Somalia (Amisom) has been appealing for more troops so that it could hold on to territory it had captured from al-Shabab. "We are controlling about 95% of Mogadishu [but] you know how terrorists work - they get an explosive and load it with drums of fuel to cause maximum damage," Amisom commander Maj Gen Fred Mugisha told the BBC. Neighbouring Djibouti and the West African state of Sierra Leone have pledged to send 3,000 extra troops over the next year, boosting the AU contingent to 12,000. "I would have wished to have these troops yesterday," Mag Gen Mugisha said. Mr Bryden says the government - widely seen as weak and effective - needs to take steps to secure Mogadishu, rather than relying on AU troops. "The security of a city is the job of the police. The [government] needs to build up the functions of its security sector, especially the police force," Mr Bryden says. He said despite the attack al-Shabab was considerably weaker than a few years ago. Drone attacks "Amisom has improved its own defences. It has scaled up its operations and it has made it more costly for al-Shabab to operate," Mr Bryden says. With AU forces controlling most of Mogadishu, al-Shabab has suffered a major blow as it is no longer able to tax businesses to finance its operations. The port city of Kismayo is now al-Shabab's main financial base, as it taxes importers and exporters. Last month, the US - which has a military base in Djibouti - launched drone attacks around Kismayo, with residents saying three targets had been hit.

Mag Gen Mugisha says he is confident that the military campaign will lead to al-Shabab's defeat. "Rest assured, we will liberate Mogadishu not long from now. We will also kick out the terrorists from the rest of Somalia," he told the BBC. Other Somali observers are not so sure, pointing out that Amisom had made such boastful statements in the past - only for al-Shabab to strike back. But Mr Bryden says the fact that al-Shabab carried out the attack in the K4 in fact reflects its weakness. "It targeted their social ministries. If it was strategic it would have hit the presidency or the military headquarters. But is no longer capable of hitting harder targets," he says. Al-Shabab: Terror timeline February 2009: Suicide attack on an African Union military base in Mogadishu kills 11 soldiers June 2009: Security Minister Omar Hashi Aden and more than 30 others killed in suicide attack in Beledweyne, north of Mogadishu September 2009: Double suicide attack on AU military base in Mogadishu kills more than 20 people December 2009: Suicide bombing at a university graduation ceremony in Mogadishu kills 24 people, including three government ministers, doctors and students July 2010: Double suicide bombing in Uganda's capital, Kampala, kills 76 people watching the football World Cup final on television August 2010: Attack on a hotel in Mogadishu kills more than 30 people, including parliamentarians September 2010: A car bomb attack outside Mogadishu's airport kills at least nine people February 2011: A suicide bombing at a police station in Mogadishu kills at least eight people June 2011: Somalia's Interior Minister Abdi Shakur Sheikh Hassan killed by suicide bomber in Mogadishu October 2011: Lorry bomb attack kills more than 70 people in Mogadishu ### ICRC Starts Huge Food Distribution Operation In Somalia (VOA News) http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/New-Food-Distribution-in-Famine-HitSomalia-131134108.html 5 October 2011 By VOA News GENEVA -- The International Committee of the Red Cross has begun distributing food to tens of thousands of drought and war-affected people in southern and central Somalia.

The Red Cross says it aims to provide food for some 1.1 million people suffering from severe food shortages by December. This first round of food distributions is taking place in the Gedo region, one of the hardest-hit areas of southern and central Somalia. Red Cross aid workers there are providing 72,000 people with enough beans, oil and rice to cover their needs for one month. ICRC spokeswoman Nicole Engelbrecht describes the situation of people living in southern and central Somalia as dire. She tells VOA they are suffering from the consequences of long-standing conflict and severe drought. These are people who have not been able to plant anything and to harvest anything as a consequence," Engelbrecht says. "So, they really have very, very great difficulties in making ends meet and in surviving in that type of situation. They are the ones who most urgently need and we are starting in Gedo, but there are other distributions that will follow. The food distributions are taking place in a dangerous environment, areas that are controlled by the Islamist al-Shabab militants. The region is off-limits to most United Nations and private aid organizations. The Red Cross is one of only a few agencies allowed to operate there. The ICRC has been working in the region for many years. During that time, it says it has managed to gain the trust of all parties and persuade the rebel group that it has no political agenda. Its only objective is to assist people in need. Somalia is the country most affected by the severe drought gripping the Horn of Africa. The United Nations has warned that 750,000 people in Somalia who lack food are at risk of death without urgent help. The Red Cross agrees its huge food distribution operation will keep many people alive. But Nicole Engelbrecht tells VOA the food distributions will relieve only the immediate suffering of the people. She says the ICRC is also working to give people the means to sustain their own livelihoods, so they can survive beyond the next harvest. So, it is very important that food distributions are carried out together with other means," says Engelbrecht. "And, what we are doing at the same time is we provide seed and fertilizer for 240,000 farmers ahead of the planting season, which is soon to start. And, they can plant these seeds and, hopefully, all this maize, sorghum, cowpea and sesame should be ready to be harvested by the beginning of the year if now the rainy season goes well.

But even if the rain is abundant, Engelbrecht cautions the harvest season will provide only 30 percent of the countrys annual food production. She says the harvest will help Somalis recover from the devastating effects of the drought, but the food security situation will remain fragile for some time. ### Panetta Exhorts European NATO Members to Share Defense Spending (NY Times) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/world/panetta-exhorts-european-nato-members-toshare-defense-spending.html 5 October 2011 By Steven Erlanger BRUSSELS With the Pentagon facing severe budget cuts, Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta appealed to European members of NATO on Wednesday to heed the lessons of the Libya war and cooperate on much-needed defense spending in order not to hollow out this alliance. Mr. Panetta, in his first European speech as defense secretary, praised as well as criticized, speaking with care in the aftermath of a fiercely phrased warning in June by his predecessor, Robert M. Gates, that NATO risked irrelevance for its failures to invest in defense. Then, Mr. Gates said that NATO had become a two-tiered alliance divided between those who bore the burden of defense spending and free riders. He warned of a dim if not dismal future for an alliance unless European members boosted their participation and said that Washington would not forever pay for European security when the Europeans could do that themselves. Mr. Panetta took a softer approach, balancing concerns about shortages of equipment and personnel with praise for the NATOs accomplishments in Libya and Afghanistan. The war in Libya, nearly finished, he said, showed how quickly and decisively NATO could go to war, and proved the value of burden-sharing, with France and Britain taking the lead instead of the United States. But Libya, he said, also showed that American capabilities and supplies of ammunition were vital to the operation and illustrated growing gaps that must be addressed. And he warned of legitimate questions about whether, if present trends continue, NATO will again be able to sustain the kind of operations that we have seen in Libya and Afghanistan without the United States taking on even more of the burden. NATO had too few targeting specialists to interpret intelligence and guide aircraft, so Americans filled in, he said. But nowhere were the gaps more obvious than in critical

enabling capabilities refueling tankers, the provision of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms such as Global Hawk and Predator drones. Without those American assets, the Libya operation would have had a very difficult time getting off the ground or being sustained, he said in a speech at Carnegie Europe, the Brussels branch of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mr. Panetta said that the Pentagon was already facing at least $450 billion in budget cuts over the next 10 years, and that he was committed to ensuring that the American military does not once again cut muscle while saving money. Europeans should avoid the same historical error, he said, and not assume that Washington will always be able to compensate for their shortcomings. After World War I, after World War II, after Korea, after Vietnam, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, we made the mistake of hollowing out our forces, and that cannot happen again, Mr. Panetta said. Similarly, NATO nations need to send a strong signal of our determination not to hollow out this alliance, he said. We need to use this moment to make the case for the need to invest in this alliance to ensure it remains relevant to the security challenges of the future. He urged Europeans to use the success in Libya to make the case to their own publics for the need to spend more on defense, and to spend it more wisely, with cooperative projects. With the fall of the Qaddafi regime, our nations saw an example of why NATO matters and why NATO remains indispensable in confronting the security challenges of today, he said. We need to use this moment to make the case for the need to invest in this alliance, to ensure it remains relevant to the security challenges of the future. By some measures, he said, European defense spending had dropped 2 percent a year for the last decade while Europeans were engaged in Kosovo, Libya and Afghanistan, meaning that the savings had come from budgets for modernization. At the least, he said, NATO members must coordinate spending cuts, so allies are not surprised. We are at a critical moment for our defense partnership, he warned. While these warnings have been acknowledged, growing fiscal pressures on both sides of the Atlantic, I fear, have eroded the political will to do something about them. After a visit to the Middle East, Mr. Panetta came to Brussels for his first NATO defense ministers meeting, which will address how to conclude the operation in Libya and how to better train Afghan forces to take over security responsibility as allied combat forces withdraw through 2014. The NATO ministers also will discuss Kosovo, where clashes continue between Kosovar Albanians and Serbs, and anti-piracy patrols off Somalia, now in their third year.

### Remarks by Secretary Panetta at Carnegie Europe, Brussels, Belgium http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4895 5 October 2011 By Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta BRUSSELS -- Thank you very much, Jessica, I appreciate that kind introduction. Excellencies, distinguished guests, I'm also particularly pleased to see a lot of young people in this audience and I really appreciate your interest in the challenges that face us as we try to design what happens with our defense posture in the twenty first century. Jessica, in particular, I want to thank you for making the trip all the way from Washington just to be here in person, I really appreciate you doing that. This gathering is in many ways a testament to the success that you have had in transforming the Carnegie endowment into a truly global think tank. I appreciate the opportunity to address this audience here at Carnegie Europe. It is a pleasure to be here with you, to be in Brussels to attend my first ministerial since becoming Secretary of Defense. And I apologize that I am on schedule that demands that I keep moving. There is something to be said for being director of the CIA, I could tip toe in and tip toe out. In this job there is no such thing. Everything is pretty much programmed and you have to move from one meeting to another, from one bilateral to another, and that's the schedule that I am on and that's the nature of being Secretary of Defense. This is my first visit to this continent since I took on my new position, but in many ways any trip to Europe is for me a homecoming. I am a son of Europe - the child of immigrants who came to the United States from Italy in the 1930s - both of my parents were immigrants. I grew up deeply aware of the shared bonds of culture, and values and history that tie our continents together and form the foundation of the Atlantic Alliance. Over the course of my life, I have lived the unique bond that is our strength and I have borne witness to the extraordinary benefits of prosperity and security that stem from our transatlantic partnership. I am truly a product of that bond between Europe and America. During my years in government, I have also seen the NATO Alliance transform to meet the threats of the 21st century, moving from an alliance that was built around safeguarding our collective territorial defense of Europe to one built on safeguarding our shared interests around the world. I served as White House Chief of Staff in the Clinton administration when NATO launched its first-ever combat operations in 1995, in response of course to the situation in Bosnia. And more recently, I've seen NATO making an extraordinary difference in Afghanistan, in Libya, and elsewhere throughout the world. This is the perspective that I bring to NATO, and it is the state of that alliance that I would like to discuss with you this morning.

We are nearing the end of a successful campaign in Libya, and are closer than ever to achieving our shared goals in Afghanistan. But there is no doubt that this is also a time of challenge to the alliance. The international security environment is complex and is rapidly changing. Our nations are grappling with significant budget challenges, putting new pressure on defense spending that has already been in decline here on the continent. But that cannot be an excuse for walking away from our national security responsibilities. This fiscal environment means that the United States, and all nations in NATO, must depend on their fellow members even more - even more -- to share the burden of protecting common interests. But to do that, the alliance must remain strong - and that will require members to commit to addressing growing gaps in our military capabilities even as we confront the challenges of fiscal austerity. Many on both sides of the Atlantic have recognized that we are at a critical moment for our defense partnership. My good friend and predecessor, Bob Gates, used his last policy address as Defense Secretary here in Brussels to deliver a strong message to Europe about the need to boost its commitment to defense and more equitably share the security burden with the United States. NATO Secretary General Rasmussen has also warned about the risk of a weak and divided Europe unless it invests in its own security. While these warnings have been acknowledged, growing fiscal pressures on both sides of the Atlantic have I fear eroded the political will to do something about them. I am convinced, having played a role on budget debates in the prior times I worked in the Congress, as OMB Director, and as Chief of Staff, I am convinced that we do not have to choose between fiscal security and national security. But achieving that goal will test the very future of leadership throughout NATO. Despite this challenge, NATO continues to do its job and demonstrate its importance to its members, including the United States. As President Obama has said, this is the most successful alliance in human history. And I believe that to be the case. We depend on it every day to provide capacity that we cannot find anyplace else. Libya is the latest example of the importance of NATO. In support of a UN mandate, NATO led an international effort to save innocent civilian lives from a dictator who threatened to inflict great harm upon his own people. Six months after the beginning of Operation Unified Protector, that dictator is now in hiding, and almost all of Libya is under the control of a governing authority that is responsive to the needs of the Libyan people and committed to the creation of a representative democracy. Although the crisis has not yet ended, Libya has a real chance - a real chance -- at a better and more prosperous future free from the tyranny of the Qadhafi regime. This was a remarkable achievement on many levels above all for the Libyan people, but also marked a new chapter for NATO. First, the alliance decision-making process was swift and decisive once it became clear there was demonstrable need for military intervention. Once it was obvious there was a clear legal basis for action and once it was clear there was strong regional support for this effort. After the UN Security Council Resolution was passed, it took only ten days for NATO to decide to act. For those familiar with the complexities of getting 28 nations to decide on anything, this was a stunning achievement.

Second, the military campaign was effective. Over a six month period, nearly 25,000 air sorties were flown and over 5,000 targets were damaged or destroyed, saving thousands of civilian lives, while NATO suffered zero casualties and inflicted minimal collateral damage. Third - and most notably - this was a mission where we saw greater leadership from our European allies. The alliance achieved more burden-sharing between the U.S. and Europe than we have in the past, particularly for an operation conducted off of Europe's shores, and on a mission that was in the vital interest of our European allies. After the United States employed its unique assets in the first week of the conflict to destroy key regime military targets and air defense capabilities, Europeans took over the brunt of operations. France and the United Kingdom engaged on a large scale, flying one third of the overall sorties and attacking forty percent of the targets. Their deployment of helicopters was critical to the later stages of this campaign. They also exercised leadership roles politically and diplomatically. Meanwhile Italy made valuable contributions to the airground mission and served as an indispensable base for Allied operations. Smaller countries also punched well above their weight. Denmark, Norway, and Belgium together destroyed as many targets as France. Romania and Bulgaria deployed ships as part of the arms embargo. Canada, as always, contributed its fair share - and that was substantial. This was true collective action - not only amongst NATO allies, but with non-NATO partners such as Qatar, the UAE and Sweden. The operation demonstrated the effectiveness of the alliance's integrated command structure and our ability to work effectively and communicate with each other quickly in a complex mission. NATO is very simply - NATO is very simply -- the only alliance that is capable of executing this kind of responsibility - and it was able to do so even while remaining heavily engaged in other operations across the globe. By far the largest effort, being conducted on the other side of the globe and a focus of our talks here in Brussels, is the war in Afghanistan, where non-U.S. allies and partners contribute close to 40,000 troops to that mission. Together, we are helping the Afghan people secure their country so that Afghanistan will never again provide a safe haven for al-Qaeda or other extremists groups who could threaten any of our nations. We have a tough fight on our hands in Afghanistan, make no mistake about it, but we are headed in the right direction. Even as the United States begins to draw down its surge forces, we continue to depend on our NATO allies to be with us in this effort. To that end, the United States will make sure that as we draw down our forces, we will not deprive our NATO partners of the critical enablers and support their troops depend upon. General Allen has made that clear, I have made that clear, that as we draw down we maintain those important enables so NATO can continue its mission. We must and will continue to send a strong signal to the people of Afghanistan, and the Taliban, that we are committed to the long-term relations that we have made to the Afghanistan people. And we will stand by that enduring relationship.

While NATO's efforts in Afghanistan and Libya show the necessity and effectiveness of the alliance, they also illustrate growing gaps that must be addressed. The Libya operation, for example, revealed significant shortfalls in capabilities. For example, NATO had a significant shortage of well-trained targeting specialists, and the United States had to make up the difference by deploying more targeters to determine the targets to be struck. In addition, shortages of supplies and munitions plagued the effort - forcing the U.S. to sell millions of dollars of ammunition, repair parts, fuel, technical assistance, and other support items simply to keep the operation going. But nowhere were the gaps more obvious than in the critical enabling capabilities: refueling tankers, provision of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms such as Global Hawk and Predator drones. Without these capabilities, -- without these capabilities -- the Libya operation would have had a very difficult time getting off the ground or been sustained. Meanwhile, Afghanistan has revealed its own set of challenges. General Allen still lacks trainers - something that we all know is critical to this phase of the transition. He also continues to seek contributions to the trust funds we have collectively established in recent years in order to sustain the Afghan National Security Forces, something that is essential to their ability to provide security now and in the future. And, as in Libya, the shortage of ISR and enablers - in particular airlift - has plagued the mission from day one. Unfortunately, these capability gaps are being exposed at precisely the time when every defense minister in NATO, including myself, is dealing with great fiscal challenges at home. By one estimate, here in Europe, defense spending has dropped almost two percent annually for a decade - at a time when many European nations have been conducting operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Kosovo and elsewhere. As a result, much-needed modernization investment has been deferred. There are legitimate questions about whether, if present trends continue, NATO will again be able to sustain the kind of operations that we have seen in Libya and Afghanistan without the United States taking on even more of the burden. It would be a tragic outcome if the alliance shed the very capabilities that allowed it so successfully conduct these operations. As for the United States, many might assume that the United States defense budget is so large it can absorb and cover alliance shortcomings - but make no mistake about it, we are facing dramatic cuts with real implications for alliance capability. Already the Defense Department faces the requirement, as a result of the debt ceiling agreement and the legislation passed in Congress, to make more than $450 billion in reductions over the next ten years. This will be tough but I also believe it will be manageable over that ten year period. My service chiefs, combatant commanders and I are convinced that we can maintain a strong national defense and yet meet these savings targets. It will require innovation and creativity it will require efficiencies, it will require discipline, but I truly believe we can do this to maintain strong national defense. But if the United States Congress fails to address the larger deficit issues, we've established a committee to come up with additional deficit reduction, but if it fails, there is an automatic process called sequester that will take effect. Sequester is a kind of doomsday formula which will cut everything across the board. And if that happens we could we could face additional cuts

in defense - a doubling of what the cuts we now face could happen if that process is allowed to go into effect. That, ladies and gentlemen, would be truly devastating to our national security and to yours as well. These are the concerns that we must work together to address as we look towards the NATO Summit next May in Chicago. Ideally, we will be able to halt additional cuts in defense or at a minimum keep defense spending at current levels. Recognizing the financial and political realities we face, we need at a minimum to coordinate additional cuts, avoid surprises, and ensure that our limited resources are being put into the most efficient and effective defense programs. We cannot afford for countries to make decisions about force structure and force reductions in a vacuum, leaving neighbors and allies in the dark. This must be a transparent and cooperative process. An example of making the best use of our defense resources is the "Smart Defense" - so called "Smart Defense" -- initiative that was launched by Secretary General Rasmussen, which could be harmonized with the EU's "pooling and sharing" initiative. We should also work together to deliver on the capability programs and initiatives our leaders identified at Lisbon. For example, the Alliance Ground Surveillance so called AGS system, which is critical to boosting the alliance's ISR capabilities - surveillance capabilities -- is currently at an impasse due to disagreements over funding. AGS is a crucial symbol of alliance collaboration. If we are going to move into the future, if we to have a cooperative relationship with regards to capabilities this is crucial to be able to put into place. AGS is not only a crucial symbol of alliance cooperate it is indeed a true bargain for NATO. Unless it is implemented successfully, the drive for similar, costeffective, multinational approaches to capability development would be seriously undermined. Going forward, we will also need to fundamentally review how the alliance organizes itself to fight, and to identify and protect the core alliance military capabilities we need in order to meet the challenges we will face in the next decade. Finally, between now and the Summit, we should look for innovative ways to enhance and expand our partnerships both with those countries outside NATO that are exceptionally capable militarily, and those that strive to be more capable. A look at the composition of NATO's ongoing operations - in Libya, Afghanistan, off the coast of Somalia - makes it clear that non-NATO partners will be increasingly central to NATO's future activities, particularly as we all strive to more broadly share the burden of defending our common interests. We live in a world of growing danger and growing uncertainty - where we face threats from violent extremism, nuclear proliferation, rising powers, and from cyber attack. We cannot predict where the next crisis will occur. But we know that we are stronger when we confront these threats together. The benefits that our countries derive from working together to defend common interests and protect our security and prosperity are obvious. They are enduring. They are key to the future. And it is precisely because of the growing security challenges that we face and growing fiscal constraints that we face that we

absolutely have to work more closely than ever as partners. Security in the 21st century will not be achieved by each nation marching to its own drummer. It can only be achieved by a willingness to fight together to defend our common security interests. That is the world that we must shape today, to build a stronger world for tomorrow. With the fall of the Qadhafi regime, our nations saw an example of why NATO matters, and why NATO remains indispensable to confronting the security challenges of today. Approaching the Chicago summit next year, we need to use this moment to make the case for the need to invest in this alliance, to ensure it remains relevant to the security challenges of the future. In confronting the budget challenges that I face in the United States, I have made it clear that I am prepared to make the tough decisions needed to avoid hollowing out the United States military. My goal is to protect our military strength. Throughout history we need to learn the lessons of the past. After World War I, after World War II, after Korea, after Vietnam, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, we made the mistake of hollowing out our forces. That cannot happen again. Similarly, NATO nations need to send a strong signal of our determination not to hollow out this alliance but instead to keep it strong and to keep it vital for the future. Last month, the American people came together to commemorate the attacks of 9/11 - the 10th anniversary of those attacks -- a horrific day that took the lives of citizens from both sides of the Atlantic. And as we recalled that terrible day, we remembered the friends and allies that came to our side. In particular, the strong expression of alliance solidarity for the United States when NATO invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty for the very first time and sent surveillance planes to help patrol the skies over the United States. It has been a tough decade of war, but our country and our alliance have learned to fight back. Terrorist who thought that they could weaken America and weaken the world, have learned that they have only made us stronger and tougher. Just as we met the challenges of the Cold War and 9/11, I am confident we can confront the challenges that await us in the next decade. But it will demand that we keep working together and move forward. There is a wonderful story about how near the end of World War II, as our allied forces were approaching the Rhine river, where there were no - at least at that moment - obvious bridges to cross the Rhine. The momentum of the forces came to a halt at the Rhine. Many of the troops wearied by war felt that it would be difficult to carry on, that the war was going to be over soon, and that another battle might cost them their lives. So there was a hesitation. But at the bridge at Remagen a lone very brave lieutenant urged his forces across that bridge saying we have to keep going, we have to keep going. And that became the cry of the troops for the end of the war. Now that we're at the end of a decade of war it is most important that we too not grow weary and fail to move forward. This is a moment to keep going, to cross that bridge, to establish that 21st century NATO that can protect our world for the future. That is our mission, that is our commitment, that is our responsibility for the future. Thank you very much. ### NATO defence ministers meet to debate ending Libyan air war (The Guardian)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/05/nato-debates-ending-libyawar?newsfeed=true 5 October 2011 By Julian Borger BRUSSELS -- NATO defence ministers are to debate on Thursday when to declare an end to the air war in Libya amid concerns over the mounting cost of the campaign and the vagueness of the alliance's war aims. The Nato secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said on Wednesday that the end of the war would not be determined by the fate of the fugitive former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. "The key will be the protection of the civilian population, so when no threat exists against the civilian population then the time will have come to terminate our operation," Rasmussen said at the start of the two-day meeting in Brussels, which will include Arab states involved in the campaign. He said the decision would be based in part on an assessment of the ability of the new government in Tripoli to protect civilians, and would be taken in consultation with the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) and the UN. Pro-Gaddafi forces still hold parts of the towns of Sirte and Bani Walid, but as the territory they control has shrunk, military targets for Nato warplanes have also dwindled. Nato aircraft have not carried out any strikes since the weekend. However, sorties by RAF Tornado and Typhoon jets, even without any bombs dropped or missiles fired, still cost 35,000 and 45,000 respectively. By some estimates the war could soon cost Britain more than 1bn, with France and the US facing similar bills, and there is anxiety in all three countries that the campaign should drag on indefinitely. Meanwhile, Nato members who originally opposed the intervention, including Germany and some eastern European states, argue that its mission is no longer clear. Nato officials admit it will be hard to make a judgment on when the civilian population is no longer under threat. "An operation is like a marriage. The only thing you know for sure is the day it starts," one senior official said. "The big risk is that one day we stop and the next day there is a massacre, in which case we would have failed."

Alliance policy planners are discussing a scenario in which Gaddafi loyalists cease to hold any territory, but continue to inflict casualties, as Saddam Hussein's followers did in Iraq. In such a situation, the population would be under constant threat, but Nato aircraft would be almost powerless to intervene without the risk of causing yet more civilian deaths and injuries. Nato officials are also concerned that fighting could break out among the factions that brought down Gaddafi's regime. They believe the alliance would be under an obligation to intervene under the terms of its UN mandate to protect the Libyan population. "If it degenerates into a big fight between factions, we will have to take action," a senior official said. "If the scale and scope is of an order that justifies Nato intervention, we will intervene." Even if the bloodshed came to an end, disengagement would not be entirely straightforward, Nato planners warn. The alliance is currently responsible for air traffic control over Libya, for example, and it could take some time for the new authorities to take over. ### Face of Defense: Togo Native Returns to Africa as U.S. Soldier (Defense.gov) http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=65560 5 October 2011 By Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti During a recent civil affairs mission through Djibouti, Army Reserve Cpl. Kwami Koto information manager for Civil Affairs Team 4902 here -- was able to articulate his connection to the African continent and its people. "You see those kids playing soccer barefoot?" he asked his team chief as their vehicle passed by children running around on a dirt field. "That used to be me." Koto, a resident of Denton, Texas, was born in Togo, a nation in West Africa. In the wake of a military coup d'etat and cultural turmoil nearly 10 years ago, he and his wife fled their homeland as political refugees to seek asylum in the United States. "Human rights in Togo were being systematically violated," he said. "As a journalist, I started writing about it, denouncing the military regime's abuses."

Koto and his family began to receive death threats. He weighed his options carefully: stay in Togo and likely be killed while reporting on the unfolding situation, or flee to America. "I chose the latter," he said. After coming to the United States, Koto went to work as a program manager for a marketing company. He attended graduate school in his free time, earning his master's degree in journalism in the spring of 2005. Four years ago, Koto decided to demonstrate his pride for his adoptive country and enlisted in the Army Reserve. "It is a pride not only for myself, but for my family -- my parents and my entire hometown back in Togo," he said. "They are all proud to have a son who serves in the most prestigious, and by far the best, Army in the world." Army Reserve officials decided Koto was best suited to build relationships with villages and government leaders throughout the Horn of Africa. To him, the journey has been an astonishing one. "Thirty-five years ago, I was playing here as a kid -- kicking an orange because we couldn't afford a soccer ball," he said as a proud smile grew on his face. "Now I wear the uniform of a U.S. Army soldier. I never could have imagined it years ago. It's indescribable, the feeling I get when I travel to African villages and help bring about change." As an Army civil affairs soldier, Koto said, returning to Africa has been a life-changing event for him. "I had seen Americans before, when I was in Togo," he said. "I learned English from a Peace Corps teacher. I never forgot those lessons or the interactions I had with the Americans. I make sure to treat the people I meet now the way I want them to remember me." Civil affairs soldiers assess and engage local leaders at both the village and government levels. They build relationships with the people through a spirit of cooperation facilitated by African leaders. Army Reserve Capt. Justin Lev, chief of Team 4902, said having Koto on the team has been invaluable. "From Day One, he's been working with us on understanding the African people," Lev said. "The reason we are able to work so well with them is because of Koto." Lev added that Koto brings a unique perspective on Africa's potential to the teams mission.

"The African people are very resilient to live the way they live. They are happy with what they have," Koto said. "However, I constantly wrestle with the way some of the African people accept their situation without trying to improve it. Every living thing has to grow and evolve. Africa, after 50 years of independence, is ready to move to the next stage of its development." Koto said African development must begin with its people, noting that an infrastructure cannot be built if the people are living in squalor. The first step, he said, is to build longterm, positive relationships with the people of Africa. Whether meeting with a village elder, working with local residents to put up buildings or playing soccer with the children of Djibouti, Koto explained, he would love for people in the United States to see Africa the way he sees it. "This is a land of opportunity," he said. "Africa presents people with both an opportunity to help and an opportunity to learn. Just like all the opportunities we have in the United States, the ones here should not be taken for granted." Lev said working in civil affairs with Koto and seeing those opportunities presented on a daily basis has changed the way he views the world. "When we travel to these villages, we see real examples of people living in extreme poverty," he said. "All of the standards we have in the United States don't apply here, but the people are happy. It really shows that happiness is achievable no matter what you have or where you are." With another smile, Koto acknowledged what his commander said. As an American, who earned his citizenship in February 2009, he has strong and passionate feelings for both his home and adopted countries. "I love Africa," he said. "I love it in the same way I love the United States: with my whole heart." ### High-End Missiles Missing From Libya (Aviation Week) http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aerospacedaily&id =news/asd/2011/10/05/01.xml&headline=HighEnd%20Missiles%20Missing%20From%20Libya 5 October 2011 By David A. Fulghum U.S. officials are still confused about why Libyas stockpile of new, advanced SA-24 Grinch man-portable air defense systems (Manpads) were not fired at NATO aircraft during the battle to oust Moammar Gadhafi. The weapons are perhaps the most

sophisticated, light, anti-aircraft missiles made by Russia, and they are certainly the most sought after by insurgents shopping the black market. We dont understand why they werent used, says U.S. Army Gen. Carter Ham, chief of Africa Command, speaking at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies on Oct. 4. Possible answers are that the Manpads (9K338 Igla-S Russian nomenclature) were not issued to the troops and never left their warehouses, the troops were never trained to use the new weapon, or the systems were missing parts or were in some other way not yet ready for combat. More importantly now, Ham says, There are ringing indicators that some Manpads type non-specific have left the country. There are lots of empty SA-24 shipping crates left in Libyan military warehouses. U.S. officials are investigating whether they had been emptied before the conflict which could indicate clandestine sales to the black market or a third party or that they were among the many weapons carried off by looters as thefts of opportunity. The first question is how many [SA-24s and other Manpads] were there [originally], Ham says. A State Department-led Manpads task force has been operating for a couple of months with neighboring countries to make sure that border security is addressing this concern. Its very clear to me that [Libyas] National Transitional Council recognizes that concern . . . and its responsibility to regain [possession] of those that have fallen outside of government control. Everything is on the table [including] a buyback program. U.S. intelligence also has determined that the original losses were not planned thefts by insurgents or black marketers. But to help track down stolen weapons and prevent looters from entering Libya will require intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, in particular longendurance, unmanned aircraft. So far, given the missions that Africa Command has been handed, weve had the necessary ISR to accomplish them, Ham says. It has been principally [operational] in East Africa and more recently with heavy emphasis in Libya and the Sahel region [south of the Sahara Desert, where interest is] focused on how Al Qaeda is getting its hands on the Islamic Maghreb [an Islamic radical militia with its origins in Algeria]. The near-term challenge, as NATO contemplates concluding Operation Unified Protector [in Libya], is how many of those [ISR assets] do I need to keep? Ham asks. How much of the Libya mission set comes back to Africa Command? Were going through that drill right now. In the near term, because of the threat of proliferation of weapons principally, and because of the interim governments interest in securing Libyas borders, well have a sustained U.S. ISR presence at least for the next several months [to aid in monitoring] the

arms trafficking routes, Ham says. Another [important issue] is emerging requirements. The challenge is access, overflight and bases. We are reliant on host nations to provide that. ### Obama Waives Child Soldier Ban in Yemen and Congo (ABC News) http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/obama-waives-child-soldier-ban-yemencongo/story?id=14663930&page=2 5 October 2011 By Avni Patel Tens of millions of dollars of U.S. military financing will continue to flow to Yemen and three other countries that recruit and use child soldiers, despite a 2008 U.S. law designed to restrict U.S. taxpayer funding of foreign militaries that enlist children to fight in war. The White House issued a memorandum Tuesday evening to allow military funding to Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Chad, three of the six countries on the State Department's list of foreign governments that recruit and use child soldiers in state-backed armed forces and militias. Human rights advocates say the presidential waivers, issued for a second year in a row, undermine the intentions of Congress. "The law could be very effective if it was applied the way Congress intended, but instead the administration has chosen to disregard the law and exert poor leadership on this issue," said Jo Becker, advocacy director of Human Rights Watch's Children's Rights Division. "Last year, the administration said they were putting governments on notice and giving them time to address the problem, but this year governments that have shown no progress are still getting assistance no strings attached." In Yemen, children who are 15 years old and younger have been recruited to fight in the government's conflict with rebels. Becker says that as recently as August, Human Rights Watch observed children serving in Yemen's Central Security force, an elite paramilitary unit, and with the army's First Armored Division, which defected to the opposition in March. The renewed waiver for Yemen comes on the heels of the killing of al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen, which has been hailed as a major success in the U.S. collaboration with the Yemeni government to root out militants in the region. The State Department has requested $35 million in foreign military financing for the Yemeni government for the 2012 fiscal year. The aid represents one portion of the total military, security and other assistance to the country, which has exceeded $100 million annually in recent years.

The White House has argued that cutting military aid to Yemen would hurt U.S. efforts to work with countries like Yemen that provided crucial cooperation in the fight against al Qaeda militants. When the waiver was issued last year, then-White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told the New York Times the Obama administration believed that continued engagement with Yemen and the other countries receiving waivers would allow the U.S. to work with these governments to end their use of child soldiers. Tuesday's presidential memorandum cited "national security interests" as the basis for granting the waivers for Yemen and Congo. "This is an issue the President takes very seriously, and these waivers are not made lightly," said Vietor, now a spokesman for the National Security Council, in a statement to ABC News Wednesday. "In this specific instance, the waiver for Yemen reflects the United States' vital interest in supporting the Government of Yemen's ability to conduct counterterrorism operations against AQAP." "The partial national interest waiver issued for the Democratic Republic of Congo," said Vietor, "fully restricts the provision of Foreign Military Financing to the Government of the DRC, and sends a clear signal to the Government of the DRC that it must do more, while allowing for the provision of certain forms of training and supplies that will serve to further professionalize the DRC's military." Becker says that the issuance of blanket waivers has not proven to be effective in addressing the recruitment of child soldiers. She points to the example of Congo, which has used hundreds of child soldiers and resisted efforts to demobilize children from its units while receiving U.S. funding over the past six years. "This is not an all-or-nothing proposal," said Becker. "$35 million is a lot of money. The administration could tell the government of Yemen it will withhold a portion of its funds until it takes concrete steps to remove children in its forces." President Obama voted for the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 while serving in the Senate. The law, which went into effect in June of 2009, prohibits international military education and training, foreign military financing, and the issuances of licenses for sales of military equipment. Funding for peacekeeping and law enforcement is not applicable under the law. Obama's memorandum also certified that the government of Chad, another country on the State Department list of countries using child soldiers, had taken steps toward ending the use of child soldiers in the last year. The government of Chad signed an action plan in June to remove children from the ranks of its national forces, known as the ANT, but human rights groups say it is too early to tell how effective the demobilization efforts will be. ### Nigeria Pursuing Link Between Al-Qaida, Boko Haram

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Nigeria-Pursuing-Link-Between-Al-QaidaBoko-Haram-130978233.html 3 October 2011 Scott Stearns DAKAR, Senegal -- Nigeria's government says Islamic militants in northern states are linked to al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists in the Sahel and in Somalia. Definitively proving that link has brought more international attention to Nigerian terrorism, but may be overshadowing its domestic causes. Nigeria's State Security Service says terrorists from the Boko Haram sect are linked to Somalia's al-Shabab militia, and the group al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates across the Sahel from Mauritania to Niger. Boko Haram claims responsibility for the bombing of U.N. headquarters in the Nigerian capital, as well a series of assassinations and ambushes across northern states as part of what it says is a campaign for an independent, Sharia-led nation. Linking Boko Haram to al-Qaida has made Nigerian terrorism a bigger international issue. Britain is boosting intelligence sharing and technological support. The United States is helping track Boko Haram funding through a program established after the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Boko Haram's support Shehu Sani heads Nigeria's Civil Rights Congress and has written extensively about Boko Haram. He is not convinced of the group's direct links with al-Qaida, but said it is clear there is significant outside support. What we still can not deny here in this country is the links between sects in Nigeria and their benefactors from other parts of the world, said Sani. Sani said there are many foreign-backed Islamic sects in northern Nigeria that are far larger than Boko Haram. But because they operate peacefully, they attract little outside attention. Sani said Nigeria must focus more on Boko Haram recruiting students who study abroad. There is no agency of government in Nigeria today that has data of young people from northern Nigeria that are in Afghanistan, that are in Yemen, that are in Pakistan, that are in countries in the Middle East. But every month, every quarter, you have hundreds of young people in northern Nigeria given scholarships to study in those countries. And there is no tracking methods. There is no follow-up. There is no vetting. And there is virtually no interest, said Sani. Boko Haram's methods

Nigerian defense and counter-terrorism analyst Husaini Monguno doubts al-Qaida's direct support for Boko Haram because their methods have little in common. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, for example, principally kidnaps foreigners for ransom, while Boko Haram works within local communities to bomb crowded places. If you look at the pattern of al-Qaida operation, it is quite different from Boko Haram. If you happen to be a Maiduguri man or a Borno State [man], all the Boko Haram members are known," said Monguno. "They are not hidden. And they try to push for their own agenda openly. They are not afraid of anybody. But al-Qaida things are secretive. Even the intelligence community in the whole world are having difficulties in trying to see who are behind those types of operations. University of Abuja sociology professor Abubakar Umar Kari said the government's linking of Boko Haram to al-Qaida risks ignoring the underlying causes of the violence, which he said include poverty and injustice. It may also overlook other domestic contributors to the violence, as Kari said opponents of President Goodluck Jonathan may be using the cover of Boko Haram to mask their own political attacks. The more you look at it, the less you understand. But what is very, very clear is that the Boko Haram phenomenon has become a metaphor. They have become a scapegoat for whatever attack, said Kari. Boko Haram's violence Monguno said political involvement with Boko Haram is most evident in how the group changed after Nigeria's 2003 election. What I believe the intelligence agencies should do is to try to see who are Boko Haram prior to 2003 election and after 2003 election. Boko Haram was nothing before 1999. I do believe that there are politicians who are using this group to try to perpetrate danger within the country, said Monguno. Sani said Boko Haram accelerated its campaign of violence following the death of its leader Mohammed Yusuf in police custody in 2009. Police said Yusuf was killed while trying to escape. Five members of the police force currently are on trial in connection with his death. A presidential committee on northern violence says the police trial should be expedited and publicized to convey to the public the government's sincerity on the issue. The committee is recommending talks with Boko Haram, but only after it renounces all forms of violence and surrenders its arms. Boko Haram has refused previous offers because of what is says is a military build-up in northern states. ###

Senior African Army Officers Begin Study Tour (The New Times) http://allafrica.com/stories/201110040721.html 4 October 2011 KIGALI, Rwanda -- Senior African officers, currently enrolled at the Zambian Defence Services Command and Staff College are in the country for a week-long study tour. The 16 officers from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Malawi, are in the country as part of their regional study tour to enhance their strategic military awareness. They will explore various facilities including military establishments, economic infrastructure, culture and heritage as well as social and welfare amenities Yesterday, they visited the Gisozi Genocide Memorial centre where they paid tribute to the victims of 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, before meeting the Chief of Defense Staff, Lt. Gen. Charles Kayonga. Col. Justine Pule Myenya, the head of the delegation, told reporters that Rwanda was selected because "there are a lot of developments to learn from, in terms of economic development and social structures present." "Rwanda is quite a progressive country. As brothers and sisters of one continent, we should be sharing ideas from time to time," Myenya said. At the RDF Headquarters, they listened to presentations on the RDF's major engagements. Lt. Col. Russel Chisenga, a staff officer of the Zambian air force, noted that after a presentation on the Horizon Group's works, he realised that "in Zambia we have similar industries but we haven't reached the level Rwanda has reached." "The RDF is so more involved in country service than the traditional military role of protecting the country," Chisenga said. The team was scheduled to visit and explore pre-deployment training for Peace Support Operations at Gako. They will also visit other government ministries, industries such as Inyange, Utexrwa, as well as make a tour of the methane extraction plant in Lake Kivu. Several Rwandan military students are studying in the famed Zambian Defense Services Command and Staff College. ###

Tunisia, United States Relaunch Trade Talks (State Department) http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2011/10/20111005163200tegdirb0.5763 47.html#axzz1ZqJ9D1HT 5 October 2011 Washington The United States is re-engaging Tunisia in trade and investment discussions aimed at supporting that North African countrys transition to democracy. During the week of September 25, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for Europe and the Middle East L. Daniel Mullaney and Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Services and Investment Christine Bliss led a U.S. delegation in talks with Tunisia under the 2002 bilateral trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA). The U.S. delegation, which included officials from USTR and the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, also held several meetings with representatives of the Tunisian private sector. The United States strongly supports Tunisias transition to democracy and to an open economic system governed by the rule of law, Mullaney said. We believe that enhancing U.S. trade and investment integration with Tunisia to increase economic growth and jobs is an important part of the support we can give to this process. We are pleased to be relaunching the TIFA and will propose holding a full bilateral TIFA Council meeting in the coming months. In 2010, the United States was Tunisias fifth-largest trading partner. Between 2009 and 2010, two-way trade (exports plus imports) grew 18 percent, following the upward curve of the entire previous decade. Two-way trade between the United States and Tunisia was valued at $976 million during 2010, representing the United States 96th-largest goods trading relationship. U.S. exports to Tunisia in 2010 were $571 million. U.S. imports from Tunisia in 2010 were $406 million. Leading U.S. exports to Tunisia include miscellaneous grain seed and fruit, cereals, machinery, fats and oils. Tunisia predominantly exports mineral fuel, fats and oils, woven apparel, electrical machinery and precious stones. U.S. foreign direct investment in Tunisia was $220 million in 2009, the most recent year for which data are available. While in Tunis, the U.S. delegation met with a wide range of both private-sector representatives and government officials to gain a broad perspective on the economic opportunities and challenges involved in the nations historic transformation. These meetings highlighted the eagerness of the Tunisian people and their government officials to engage in a process that will result in an open, transparent and competitive economy that will create jobs and greater economic activity in Tunisia and the entire North African region, according to USTR. In particular, Tunisia hopes to use its highly educated, skilled and youthful population to become a regional economic hub, USTR said.

By the visits conclusion, the U.S. and Tunisian delegations had established working groups to carry forward the work of the newly relaunched TIFA. These groups intend to develop work plans across a range of areas intended to support bilateral trade and investment and regional economic integration. The work plans will include facilitating trade; promoting trade and investment (especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises); reducing barriers to investment in key service sectors such as information and communications technology services, financial services, and clean-energy services; strengthening protection of intellectual property rights; and promoting the rule of law through greater transparency, including public participation in rulemaking, and fighting corruption. These working groups are scheduled to report their progress at the first meeting of the newly launched TIFA Council. ### Panetta: Spain to host US ships for NATO's anti-Iran missile shield (The Hill) http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/185779-panettaannounces-increased-missile-defense-in-mediterranean5 October 2011 By John T. Bennett Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Wednesday that Spain will host four U.S. Navy war ships that will play a big role in a planned NATO missile defense shield. "With four Aegis ships at Rota, [NATO] is significantly boosting combined naval capabilities in the Mediterranean and enhancing our ability to ensure the security of this vital region," Panetta said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "This relocation of assets takes place as part of the United States's ongoing effort to better position forces and defensive capabilities in coordination with our European allies and partners." The major mission that will be assigned to the American ships will be to track and potentially target missiles fired at Europe and deployed U.S. troops by rouge states like Iran. The Obama administration, after taking office, scrapped a plan fashioned by the George W. Bush administration to install missile interceptors in Poland, opting instead to lean more heavily on sea-based radars and interceptors. "These ships will ... support NATO's critical efforts to build effective missile defense," Panetta said. "Alongside important agreements that were recently concluded with Romania, Poland and Turkey, Spain's decision represents a critical step in implementing the European Phased Adaptive Approach."

The four ships also will perform other missions and participate in military exercises in the Mediterranean region, and give the heads of U.S. Central and African commands access to the vessels if an emergency takes place. Read Secretary Panetta's complete statement

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