08 October 1997
(Kerns calls it a "positive" initiative) (1050) WASHINGTON -- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Vincent Kern told the House Africa Subcommittee on October 8 that the all-African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI), a U.S.-African peacekeeping partnership, is "something positive" for the continent. Kern explained to lawmakers that the ACRI is "a training initiative designed to create highly effective, rapidly-deployable peacekeeping units, which can operate jointly." Kern made plain that "we do not intend to create a standing African force and we are not providing training to create elite forces for instability. We are solely interested in providing training in those areas which are the traditional tasks associated with any peacekeeping operation: establishment of checkpoints, perimeter security, convoy security, the processing of displaced persons and the like." Following is the Mr. Kerns text as prepared for delivery: (BEGIN TEXT) Distinguished members, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to today to appear before you and discuss what we at the Department of Defense view, as was recently stated by a member of the foreign press to one of my staff observing ACRI training in Uganda, as "something positive for Africa." The concept of an ability to address humanitarian crises and peacekeeping requirements within Africa, by Africans, is not a new idea; our friends in Africa, our allies the British and the French, and several others have proposed this concept in several different forms in the past. The ACRI as we know it now originally began as a proposal to plan for the worst case scenario in central Africa, given the horrendous events in Rwanda in the Spring of 1994. We foresaw a military capability that would be able to rapidly assemble and deploy in order to prevent another descent into anarchy and the needless loss of life. We discussed this concept with both our African and non-African allies around the world; they recommended that we expand the concept beyond simply one region of Africa to that of something which could not only address that problem, but also provide the capability to respond to future events. Therefore, the Department of Defense and the Department of State have further refined this concept to what is now known as the Africa Crisis Response Initiative, or the ACRI. The ACRI concept envisions a U.S. partnership with African and non-African countries to build and improve African crisis response capabilities. It provides a unique opportunity to improve the operational capabilities of African militaries, making them better prepared to conduct either limited humanitarian or peacekeeping operations. Let me emphasize that the ACRI is a training initiative designed to create highly effective, rapidly-deployable peacekeeping units, which can operate jointly. This expansion of the concept beyond that originally envisioned has generated a great deal of interest both within and outside Africa, and we will admit that there are those who are suspicious of our motives. We do not intend to create a standing African force and we are not providing training to create elite forces for instability. We are solely interested in providing training in those areas which are the traditional tasks associated with any peacekeeping operation: establishment of checkpoints, perimeter security, convoy security, the processing of displaced persons and the like. We are providing non-lethal equipment which is required by any organization anticipating involvement in peacekeeping operations or humanitarian crises. This includes communications gear, water purification units, some night vision binoculars, mine detectors, and the like. In order to ensure that individual soldiers have the necessary personal equipment, we have provided uniforms, boots, load-carrying equipment such as belts and packs, and entrenching tools. Just as for U.S. troops, force protection is of paramount importance to us. Therefore, we are providing ammunition for marksmanship training (and only for training) to enable peacekeepers to be able to properly defend themselves (as has been necessary in several recent peacekeeping operations). We have asked each of those nations volunteering troops for this initiative to sign end-use and non-transfer agreements to ensure that 1) this equipment is used only for peacekeeping and humanitarian purposes and 2) that it is ready if and when the call comes. We see these agreements as critical to the viability of the ACRI if it is ever called into action, and also as contributing to our efforts to make this initiative as transparent as possible to the outside observer. The training is provided by both the 3rd and 5th Special Forces Groups, both of whom have portions of the African continent within their areas of operations. The training lasts approximately 60 days, and is conducted by approximately 43 special forces trainers backed up by approximately 15 logistic, maintenance and support instructors. The training culminates in a field training exercise (FTX), during which the unit's performance is evaluated. Those areas in which additional work is required are the subject of follow-up "sustainment" training which occurs at approximately four and eight months, respectively, following the completion of the first phase of training. The ACRI training is open to any and all nations who are interested in participating as either trainers or observers, given that the host nation approves their participation. We have actively sought to include both nongovernmental organizations and the media as not only observers, but also as role-playing participants in the training. In the training recently concluded in Uganda and Senegal, the participation of both those communities resulted in a greatly enhanced and realistic training evolution. We seek their participation in all our future training, for this not only provides a better training environment, but it also creates a better sense of understanding as to our motives. We hope to see both communities involved in the training in Malawi, and we invite their inquires. In conclusion, we see the ACRI as an opportunity not only for Africans, but also for ourselves. While enhancing African peacekeeping capabilities, it also improves our opportunity to demonstrate to others the American soldier's respect for democratic civilian authority and his concern for human rights and individual dignity. We truly see the ACRI as "something positive for Africa." 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