Africa Defense Forum - Africa Defense Forum

ADF STAFF Nations that have invested in professional military education have little doubt about its worth.  “The payoff we see on the back end is phenomenal,” Maj. Gen. Tracy King said about the U.S. Marine Corps’ effort to expand…

During more than 40 years in the military, Gen. Robert Kibochi, Ph.D., has held command positions such as vice chief of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), commander of the Kenya Army, and assistant chief in charge of operations, plans,…

ADF STAFF Threats in the coastal waterways of Africa have multiplied in recent years. Smuggling, piracy and oil bunkering all occur in the shallow waters that snake from the ocean to the interior of the continent. These threats cannot be…

ADF STAFF An Army captain from Chad who died while protecting civilians in Mali has become only the second recipient of the United Nations’ highest peacekeeping award. Capt. Abdelrazakh Hamit Bahar joined the U.N. Integrated…

ADF STAFF From farm fields to oil fields, Sudan’s military is deeply rooted in industries at the heart of the country’s economy. The military-controlled Defense Industries Systems (DIS) runs more than 250 companies worth a collective $2…

A Soldier from the Nigerien Armed Forces (FAN) swipes away desert sand in search of a simulated improvised explosive device (IED). He and his colleagues took part in counter-IED training with U.S. Air Force explosive ordnance disposal…

ADF STAFF China’s interest and involvement in Africa includes everything from establishing economic markets to negotiating lucrative infrastructure projects worth billions of dollars. The communist nation also is known for what it…

ADF STAFF The primary job of Mauritania’s 300 camel-riding Mehari National Guard members is to patrol remote areas of the Sahara along the border with Mali, looking for terrorist cells. But they do much more than provide security to…

ADF STAFF For a nation’s military to be ethical and effective, it must adhere to certain objective standards. Chief among those is its willingness to be subjected to civilian rule. That has not always been the case with African…

ADF STAFF There’s a new armed group striking terror in the people of Mali. The fighters speak a strange language. They don’t look like the locals. They converge on villages accompanied by Malian soldiers. Their ostensible mission is…