The Perennial 'Training Mission' in Africa
What's actually happening: FIRST INSTANCE: The 'Advisory' Era (Vietnam, 1960s) Before the full-scale interventions, the US military often began with small contingents of 'advisors' or 'trainers.' In Vietnam, this started as early as the 1950s, but significantly ramped up in the early 1960s. By 1962, there were over 11,000 US military 'advisors' in South Vietnam, purportedly training the Army of
the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) against communist insurgents (Karnow, 1983). The stated goal was to build a self-sufficient military capable of defending itself. REPETITIONS: Expanding the Footprint (Africa, Post-9/11) Somalia (early 2000s onwards): Following 9/11, the US significantly increased its military presence and 'training' programs across Africa, often under the guise of counter-terrorism.
In Somalia, after the 'Black Hawk Down' incident in 1993, US direct involvement waned, but it returned with a vengeance in the early 2000s, training local forces against Al-Shabaab. By 2006, US-backed Ethiopian forces invaded Somalia to dislodge the Islamic Courts Union. Today, US AFRICOM continues to train and conduct operations in Somalia, yet Al-Shabaab remains a potent threat, controlling
significant territory (ACLED, 2023 data shows persistent high-level conflict). Mali (2010s): The US has consistently trained Malian forces through programs like the Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) and AFRICOM's annual Flintlock exercises. Curiously, a number of military officers who received US training have gone on to lead coups, most notably Amadou Sanogo (2012) and Assimi Goïta (2020,