The United States Army is engaged in a low-key long-term effort to work with African land forces to strengthen their ability to resist jihadis and other irregular threats, to support rule of law in governance (or at least not to be a threat to it), and enable cooperative action to fight threats to partner nations before those threats become threats to America.
The effort in Africa under the Africa Command (AFRICOM) banner is still important despite being a secondary theater as far as the urgency of threats is concerned:
U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) supports the U.S. government's defense institution strengthening through a long-term approach of engaging with leaders, theater security cooperation, and military exercises. In support of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Africa Command, USARAF focuses on the long-term effort to build defense institutions across Africa capable of countering violent extremist organizations and increase regional security -- security conditions that support economic prosperity, expansion of human rights and rule of law.
A valuable force multiplier for extending the reach of USARAF in support of African allies for training missions, rapid reaction forces in crises, and power projection missions in counter-terror operations or the force that kicks down (or just secures) the door for follow-on forces to land in a permissive environment would be a modularized auxiliary cruiser based on a leased container ship and mission modules installed in standard shipping containers as the building blocks that I named The AFRICOM Queen.
Such a vessel manned by Army mariners, Coast Guard sailors, and/or Navy sailors could function as a power projection platform for small land and air units (as well as civilian assets) in the absence of scarce Navy amphibious warfare ships needed for higher priority theaters.
