Army Gen. William E. Ward, the first-ever boss of US Africa Command, turned over the reins of command to Army Gen. Carter Ham during a ceremony Wednesday at the command’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Ward, who began his military career in 1971 as an infantry officer, has been at AFRICOM’s helm since the command stood up in October 2007. He is retiring, reports Voice of America. “From the moment he took command,” Ward kept “his eye on the mission—promoting African security by building the capacity of partner nations and organizations,” stated Defense Secretary Robert Gates during the ceremony. Ward attributed AFRICOM’s success to its partnerships. “We make a difference . . . because, by partnering with our friends and teammates, they see the best of America,” he said. Ham most recently served as commander of US Army Europe. (AFPS report by Karen Parrish) (Gates transcript)
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…