The US military’s expanding presence in Africa is causing the armed services major growing pains that often leave soldiers on the ground in the lurch, according to the findings of a Government Accountability Office investigation.
Brigades operating under the US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) informed GAO of equipment shortages and incomplete information about mission objectives. In some cases, soldiers were even lacking the necessary paperwork to enter the host nation.
In the report, which was released Wednesday, GAO noted that problems mount even before troops are deployed to Africa.
While brigades are supposed to receive their mission plans—or “task orders”—90 days in advance of an activity, forces under AFRICOM often received them within only 30 days of the mission. The difference, GAO said, means the forces have “lacked timely and complete information required to effectively carry out” their assignments.
In one example cited, a brigade was deployed without receiving task orders at all. Five days after arriving to the host nation and only after using “alternative communication channels” did the troops receive their final mission information, forcing them to use “previous experience to prepare as best as they could.”
The watchdog went on to say that a lack of “mission specific requirements” created “equipment gaps.” All of the brigades operating in Africa reported that they at times lacked communications equipment, such as satellite phones and high frequency radios, and basic supplies including water purification systems and mosquito nets.
GAO also said that logistics problems have resulted from a lack of coordination between Army and the State Department. The inability to properly discuss operational matters has seen brigade personnel unable to obtain proper travel documents ahead of their deployment.
“Brigade officials said that several of their activities were cancelled or delayed because some personnel could not obtain an official passport or visa in advance of the planned activity,” GAO stated.
Established during George W. Bush’s presidency, AFRICOM has, since 2013, dispatched three brigades to the continent. They have carried out hundreds of missions in nearly a dozen countries.
The workload has led to many of the challenges described by GAO. Individuals interviewed at DOD agencies in charge with coordinating the brigades complained of “increasing number of activities being conducted in Africa, coupled with manning shortages.”
GAO did, however find one upside to the many shortfalls that plague AFRICOM: better problem-solving skills.
The report points to “benefits for training and soldier development,” as personnel are forced to operate “in a complex, multicultural environment and to adapt quickly to ill-defined or shifting requirements.”
Read the GAO’s full report here.
