Under Secretary of the Army, the Honorable Joseph W. Westphal, met with U.S. Africa Command staff in Stuttgart, Germany, during his first visit to command headquarters April 11, 2011.

Westphal's visit served to gain perspective on U.S. AFRICOM's mission and organizational structure, along with the command's theater security cooperation strategy programs and activities designed to assist African states build their security capacity.

"For a new combatant command like AFRICOM, it's important to know how that strategy plays into the Army force structure and how integrated our strategies are with other [U.S. government] agencies," Westphal said.

He held discussions with senior staff members during his afternoon visit, focusing on AFRICOM’s engagement strategy, resource and personnel topics, and integration with other U.S. government agencies, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Westphal is visiting U.S. European Command and U.S. Army Europe while in Germany.

For more on U.S. AFRICOM:

About AFRICOM

2011 Posture Statement