| United States Army Africa | |
|---|---|
United States Army Africa shoulder sleeve insignia. |
|
| Active | Established: 9 December 2008 |
| Country | United States |
| Motto | A Team Like No Other |
| Commanders | |
| Commander, U.S. Army Africa | Major General David R. Hogg, USA[1] |
| Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Africa | Brigadier General Isaac G. Osborne, Jr., USA; Brigadier General James D. Owens, Jr., USA[2] |
| Chief of Staff | Colonel Marcus F. De Oliveira, USA |
| Command Sergeant Major | Command Sergeant Major Hu B. Rhodes, USA |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive Unit Insignia | |
United States Army Africa (USARAF), formerly known as the Southern European Task Force (SETAF), is the United States Army component command of United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM)[3][4][5]
USARAF's headquarters are located on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. The current commanding general of USARAF is Major General David R. Hogg, USA[6]
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In mid-2006, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld formed a planning team to advise on requirements for establishing a new unified command for the African continent. In early December 2006, he presented his recommendations to President George W. Bush.[7] On 6 February 2007, Rumsfeld's successor, Robert Gates, announced to the Senate Armed Services Committee that the president had authorized the formation of AFRICOM[8] and Rear Admiral Robert Moeller, USN, the director of the AFRICOM transition team, arrived in Stuttgart, Germany to begin creating the logistical framework for the command.
On 28 September 2007, the United States Senate confirmed General William E. Ward as AFRICOM's first commander[9] and USAFRICOM officially became operational as a sub-unified command of EUCOM with a separate headquarters. During a public ceremony on 9 December 2008, USARAF was established as the land component of USAFRICOM.[10] The ceremony followed an official announcement by the U.S. and Italian governments on 3 December in Rome that SETAF would become USARAF. According to Army Times, the ceremony marked the end of the airborne chapter of the unit’s history and the beginning of its new role as the Army component of USAFRICOM.[11]
In October 2009, the Army established USARAF as its newest Component Command.[12]
The command's formal mission statement explains that "U.S. Army Africa, as the Army Service Component Command for U.S. Africa Command, enables full spectrum operations while conducting sustained security engagement with African land forces to promote security, stability, and peace. As directed, deploys a contingency headquarters in support of crisis response."[13]
The U.S. Army Southern European Task Force (SETAF) was formally activated during a ceremony on 25 October 1955.[14][15]
The headquarters, commanded by Major General John H. Michaelis, was temporarily established at Camp Darby with units stationed in Vicenza and Verona. Shortly after activation, SETAF moved the headquarters to Verona, to Caserma Passalacqua. Troop strength reached 10,000 and SETAF was formally established with a U.S.-Italian agreement.
In 1959, a third agreement brought significant changes to SETAF, to include assigning Italian Army personnel to the SETAF general staff to assist with unique bi-national responsibilities.
In 1963, SETAF lent a helping hand to its Italian neighbors when a huge landslide forced a deluge of water over the Vajont Dam in the Piave Valley killing more than 2,000 people. SETAF helicopters were the first on the scene to provide assistance.
The headquarters moved again in 1965 to Caserma Carlo Ederle in Vicenza.
SETAF's mission and geographical area of responsibility increased in 1972 when the command enlarged its signal support unit and took control of two Army artillery groups in Greece and Turkey.
With the assignment of the 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry (Airborne Battalion Combat Team) in 1973, SETAF accepted the missions of maintaining and deploying the battalion on its own or as part of the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land). Throughout the 1970s and 80s, SETAF continued its tradition of helping out its Italian neighbors whenever disaster struck.
Until 1992, SETAF was considered to be a logistical command, but changes in Europe resulting from the end of the Cold War also resulted in new missions for the unit. SETAF shifted focus to regional tactical operations as command and control headquarters for Army and joint units.
In March 1991, SETAF's 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 325th Infantry Regiment, deployed to northern Iraq during Operation Provide Comfort, the U.S.-led humanitarian mission to feed and provide other life support for thousands of displaced Kurds.
In July 1994, SETAF deployed to Entebbe, Uganda as the core staff of Joint Task Force Support Hope. A total of 2,100 U. S. military personnel, including SETAF's 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 325th Infantry Regiment, deployed to the region to help prevent a humanitarian crisis resulting from large-scale refugee movements caused by the civil war in Rwanda.
SETAF demonstrated its role as the theater's reaction force in December 1995 by deploying as the lead element of the Dayton Peace Accord[16] implementation forces into Bosnia-Herzegovina.[17]
April 1996 proved to be exceptionally busy: Elements of the SETAF Infantry Brigade deployed to Dubrovnik, Croatia to secure the crash site of U. S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown's plane.[18]
Another company-plus deployed to Monrovia, Liberia with special operations forces to facilitate noncombatant evacuation operations. In November 1996, portions of the SETAF-led Joint Task Force Operation Guardian Assistance[19] deployed to Uganda and Rwanda to assess the needs of Rwandan refugees in Zaire.
In March 1997, a SETAF-led Joint Task Force (JTF) headquarters deployed to Brazzaville,[20][21] Congo, in preparation for the potential evacuation of non-combatants from Zaire. The JTF redeployed in April 1997 upon a peaceful government transition in Zaire.
On 26 March 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, SETAF's 173d Airborne Brigade[22] conducted a parachute assault into Northern Iraq. About 1,000 paratroopers jumped into Bashur Airfield in a historical and critical mission called Operation Northern Delay. The brigade remained in Iraq for a year conducting a variety of missions from defeating insurgents to building and renovating schools.
On 25 July 2003, SETAF was designated to lead the US military mission in Liberia to help prevent an impending humanitarian disaster. A peace agreement was implemented, forces of the warring factions were separated, air and seaports were reopened, and the UN and private humanitarian organizations resumed delivery of badly needed relief.
In February 2005, both SETAF and the 173d Airborne Brigade were called upon to do their part in the global war on terror, deploying to Afghanistan, as part of the Combined Joint Task Force 76.[22]
The Army's transformation saw the 173d Airborne Brigade convert into an Airborne Brigade Combat Team[22] in 2006. The 173rd ABCT, with its headquarters and two battalions from Vicenza and four battalions in Germany, deployed in May 2007, again to Afghanistan, in support of NATO's International Security Assistance Force. The brigade redeployed in the summer of 2008.[22]
From June through November 2007, SETAF soldiers deployed to Romania and Bulgaria as a part of Joint Task Force East.[22] JTF-East is an on-going United States European Command initiative to strengthen relationships between the United States and its allies in Eastern Europe.
In July 2008, SETAF provided command and control for Exercise Immediate Response, a U.S. European Command exercise, in the Republic of Georgia.[23]
In the fall of 2008, SETAF went through major organizational changes as it restructured to support AFRICOM. In August 2008, SETAF conducted its final airborne operation and, shortly thereafter, SETAF soldiers replaced their maroon berets with black berets and replaced their airborne tabs with historic SETAF scrolls.[14]
In early December 2008, the U.S. Ambassador to Italy and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs announced in Rome that SETAF officially assumed duties as the Army component headquarters for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).[24]
In October 2009, USARAF conducted Natural Fire 10, its first large-scale humanitarian and crisis response joint military exercise on the African continent.[25]
Natural Fire 10 was a multi-national, globally resourced exercise focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. According to USARAF, the goals of the exercise were "to promote interoperability between USARAF and the militaries of partner nations, while improving capabilities to respond to complex humanitarian emergencies."[25] Roughly 650 troops from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, along with U.S. service members, participated in the exercise.[25] According to U.S Army Africa, the exercise brought together more than 1,200 service members and civilians from six countries.[26] U.S Army Africa and the Uganda People's Defence Force co-led the exercise, that began on 16 Oct. 2009 and ended on 25 Oct. 2009.[26]
Natural Fire 10 took place at three locations in Uganda: Entebbe, Kampala and Kitgum.[25] At the first two sites, U.S. and African military leaders took part in a tabletop exercise – facing simulated emergencies in Africa. The tabletop exercise was developed for senior and mid-level military leaders to garner experience in responding to disasters, offering humanitarian assistance and preparing for pandemic situations.[27]
Participants in Natural Fire 10 also practiced tasks such as convoy operations, crowd control, weapons handling and techniques for establishing and manning vehicle checkpoints.[26] Also in Kitgum, U.S.troops and East African partners provided medical, dental and engineering support to local communities.[28]
According to USARAF, Natural Fire 10 "validated its yearlong transition to becoming America's premier Army team for achieving positive change in Africa. By building capacity within partner nations and increasing our ability to work together, U.S. Army Africa will be better prepared for future engagements. In doing so, the U.S. Army also solidified military rapport with allies in East Africa, key to supporting stability in the region."[25][26]
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