[General Thomas] Waldhauser concurred his command was under-resourced, particularly in the area of intelligence and surveillance capabilities and medical evacuation assets.
AFRICOM's resourcing for assets was bad before our new focus on China and Russia, and AFRICOM's position on the priority list will get worse going forward.
Although if Russia and China start to push more openly into Africa, AFRICOM might shake loose some resources as a side show to the main focus.
I think my idea in Military Review for building The AFRICOM Queen modularized auxiliary cruiser using existing container ships as a power projection platform for military and civilian elements of our power in the vast African littorals is all the more necessary if Waldheimer hopes to get resources in the new era of great power competition.
If they had the range of a container ship turned into an auxiliary cruiser, the LCS might be a possible naval asset that AFRICOM could use, just as SOUTHCOM has gotten the ship:
A littoral combat ship is slated to deploy to the waters of U.S. Southern Command this year to battle drug smugglers, its top officer told lawmakers Thursday.
SOUTHCOM commander Adm. Craig Faller declared America’s opioid epidemic “a national security crisis” during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services committee and said an LCS will patrol South American and Caribbean waters to interdict illicit narcotics.
But the LCS doesn't have that range. Or the payload for the multiple capabilities AFRICOM would like.
Although funny enough, my view is that the LCS was given to SOUTHCOM only because the disappointing LCS shouldn't sail anywhere near a peer naval and air force, and the Navy is probably content to send it to a command at an even lower priority level for military assets than AFRICOM.
