US Forces in Africa

[areba]

this notion that they can't use and/or have minimal need for modern weapons systems is just hogwash.

Misrepresented my intentions again, training and doctrine are not a matter of question as most of the time what each country does is not a matter of pubic consumption, my question, hence rationaly for arguing against conventional 4++ fighters for instance is largely the burden of cost. It in fact is in support of the maturity of their training that they would ordinarily not go for these. the CURRENT threat matrix in most of the region is dominated by insurgence activities (LRO, AS and all the millitant groupings) a government is better of investing in APCs and low cost , low maintenence helis and training in boots, motivation..e.t.c e.t.c..

Some countries in africa have 6++ manpower, which is why they face east, and that is the crux of the whole sudden interest in africa.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Misrepresented my intentions again, training and doctrine are not a matter of question as most of the time what each country does is not a matter of pubic consumption, my question, hence rationaly for arguing against conventional 4++ fighters for instance is largely the burden of cost. It in fact is in support of the maturity of their training that they would ordinarily not go for these. the CURRENT threat matrix in most of the region is dominated by insurgence activities (LRO, AS and all the millitant groupings) a government is better of investing in APCs and low cost , low maintenence helis and training in boots, motivation..e.t.c e.t.c..

Some countries in africa have 6++ manpower, which is why they face east, and that is the crux of the whole sudden interest in africa.

misrepresented?

quite a few in CA are less worried about LRA and IMG type threats and are more worried about whats happening with the sth africans. the fact that the sth africans have been courted by the chinese and have also sided with the chinese on a number of UN issues makes some of them even more nervous.

those countries are going for sophisticated capability and are spending money on training - and on improving their officer corp. you cannot do this however without also attending to local governance issues - which some are also trying to do - to their credit.

apart from the nth west and upper central east going off the rails, the others are getting their act together.

sth africa continues to be a concern for all.

 

[areba]

misrepresented?

quite a few in CA are less worried about LRA and IMG type threats and are more worried about whats happening with the sth africans. the fact that the sth africans have been courted by the chinese and have also sided with the chinese on a number of UN issues makes some of them even more nervous.

those countries are going for sophisticated capability and are spending money on training - and on improving their officer corp. you cannot do this however without also attending to local governance issues - which some are also trying to do - to their credit.

apart from the nth west and upper central east going off the rails, the others are getting their act together.

sth africa continues to be a concern for all.

South africa is a behemoth as much as the US is to some of its neighbours. simply put, it is too big of an economy to employ conventional military arms races as a response, look at the relative differences in the GDP. looking at central Africa, one issue that dominates security concerns would be the north, especially when water issues come into play. I bet Ugandas Sukhois would partly have been bought as a possible statement to the Arab north with respect to voiced threats on the issue of the nile waters, that said again any such military escalation would be a theatre for a proxy war between players thousands of miles away, probably played in the northern frontier nations of ssudan and ethiopia.....

that said though, im interested in knowing of any US involvement with Meles....

 

[My2Cents]

My point is not to insinuate in any way that she has not been in africa, but that she has been comfortable being there. Global geopolitics notwithstanding, it is a fact that many african nations are looking east, not only to china but to russia and eastern european splinters of soviet bloc nations especially for machine.

China appears comfortable and does well in Africa because they have no compunction against bribing officials. It doesn’t matter how poor your products are or how bad the deal is for the country, if the fix is in with the approving authority. Actually from the point of view of the authorities in Africa it is advantageous, because it gives them a reason to go back in the future and demand additional bribes not to make an issue of the problems.

 

[areba]

China appears comfortable and does well in Africa because they have no compunction against bribing officials. It doesn’t matter how poor your products are or how bad the deal is for the country, if the fix is in with the approving authority. Actually from the point of view of the authorities in Africa it is advantageous, because it gives them a reason to go back in the future and demand additional bribes not to make an issue of the problems.

Actually they have a dont ask, dont tell approach, a double edged sword if you ask me. if you have your act right, theyll deal with you officially and following channels (as long as you can be able to police their brown envelope behaviour), which means that for the equivalent amount of money they spend on say infrastructure, others would ask for an arm and a leg in exchange. some may view that as direct interference, especially when many countries in africa are evolving democratically not because of external influence but the general growth of the populace....