It’s official; the Pentagon has activated the new Africa Command, under the leadership of Army Gen. William Ward, who received Senate confirmation on Sept. 28. The initial organization will share space with US European Command at Stuttgart, Germany. The new unified command is to take full form by Sept. 30, 2008 at an as-yet unspecified location in Africa.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.