Houston is among the cities vying to become the next home of U.S. Africa Command, one of the Defense Department's six regional military headquarters.
Texas lawmakers, city officials and local business leaders hope Houston's low cost of living and many diplomatic and economic ties to the African continent will persuade the Pentagon to move AFRICOM from its current base in Germany to Ellington Field in Houston.
If the bid is successful, it would bring hundreds of jobs - and a four-star general - to the city.
AFRICOM led initial operations in Libya before NATO took over. Its presence at Ellington would boost Houston's strategic importance at a time when the U.S. is strengthening military partnerships in Africa as part of its proxy war against al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab in Somalia.
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, has offered language in the Military Construction Appropriations Bill requiring a transparent process to the selection of AFRICOM's permanent headquarters.
The language would not allow funds to be appropriated for a permanent AFRICOM headquarters overseas until the Pentagon analyzes the costs of establishing a permanent location in another country versus in the U.S. The bill has passed the Senate and is in conference in the House of Representatives.
I know, right? What we really need is the African ops headquarters sooooo much further from Africa, eh?
By: Brant
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1 comment:
Not much stranger than CENTCOM HQ being in Tampa, Florida.
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