ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

As Russia’s war on Ukraine wears on into its second year, the leader of U.S. Army Europe and Africa said that preparing for future fights will mean leaning into real-world battle scenarios.

Speaking Oct. 10 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2023 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., Gen. Darryl Williams said that, following NATO's July summit emphasizing deterrence and allied support of Ukraine, the Army would stress becoming more prepared to fight the real threat in the region.

The U.S. military continues to face an array of threats in Africa while keeping its eye on near-peer competitors such as China and Russia, the commander of U.S. Africa Command said.

“We’ve kept events in Africa from derailing. Our primary security focus is China as our pacing threat and Russia as our… near-term threat. We’ve been able to focus on those threats because we haven’t had to focus on Africa,” Gen. Stephen Townsend said July 28 during a media event hosted by the Defense Writers Group. 

U.S. Army Europe and Africa welcomed a new commanding general June 28, as Gen. Darryl Williams assumed command from Gen. Christopher Cavoli.

Williams, who received his fourth star for the new assignment, comes to Europe after serving as the 60th superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, since July 2018.

Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the top U.S. Army leader in Europe, has been nominated to be the next supreme allied commander, Europe, the Pentagon announced May 3.

If confirmed by the Senate, Cavoli would succeed Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, who has held the job since May 2019. Cavoli also would take command of the U.S. European Command.

Close contact with allies and partners, combined with solid training and education, are the cornerstones to successful missions for the soldiers and leaders of U.S. Army Central, the command’s leader said.

The 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade is expanding its presence in Africa with continuous, predictable rotations and a focus on sharing information among teams about its growing number of military partnerships.

Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 2nd SFAB is regionally aligned with the U.S. Africa Command area of operations. Force packages that comprise 20, 12-person teams are deploying to the continent on six-month rotations, then returning home for 12 months to reset, rearm and retrain in preparation for the next deployment.

Combining two key Army commands serves as a “win” for the U.S. and its allies ahead of a major multinational exercise in Africa later this year, a senior Army leader said. 

“We’re very excited about the merger,” Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said Feb. 23 during a press call. 

He added that “the consolidation of our two commands is a win for Africa and a win for the United States Army.”

Consolidating Army operations in Europe and Africa under one command is better preparing the U.S. to face near-peer competitors, says Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa.