Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Senators today that President Bush has decided to constitute an Africa Command. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Administration’s 2008 defense budget request, Gates said the current construct—dividing responsibility among three unified command—is an “outdated arrangement left over from the Cold War.” The Pentagon plans to work with Congress and allies on setting up the new command.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.