The Horn of a Dilemma:

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Timothy F. Ghormley, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, may not be overseeing a “direct action” force now, but that doesn’t mean the 1,400 airmen, marines, soldiers, and sailors under his leadership are idle. The mission, Ghormley told reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday, is “enhancing capacity” of governments in the northeast Africa region. The goal is to ward off the influence of terror groups already in the region and ones that likely would try to get a foothold once they see the handwriting on the wall in Afghanistan and Iraq. “We’re winning in Afghanistan; we’re winning in Iraq—they’re going to have to go someplace,” Ghormley said. He went on: “That’s why it’s so important for us to get our message across that there is an alternative.”