By Daniel Voman*
At the beginning of May 2009, President Obama submitted his first budget request to Congress. The Obama administration’s budget for FY 2010 proposes significant increases in U.S. security assistance programs for African countries and for the operations of the new U.S. Africa Command or AFRICOM. This shows that—at least initially—the administration is following the course laid down for AFRICOM by the Bush administration, rather than putting these programs on hold until it can conduct a serious review of U.S. security policy towards Africa. This article outlines the administration’s plans for Africa in the coming year and the money it intends to spend on military operations on the continent. For more information, see the Department of State, Summary and Highlights for International Affairs Function 150: Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request (http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/122513.pdf) and the Department of Defense, Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request: Summary Justification (http://www.defenselink.mil/comptroller/defbudget/fy2010/fy2010_SSJ.pdf).
