The U.S. Defense Department says it is committed to launching its new Africa Command on time in October, and with the same capabilities as other major U.S. military commands. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Theresa Whelan made the comment in a VOA interview.
美国国防部表示正在争取在今年10月按时成立新的非洲司令部。这个司令部具备美军其它主要军事司令部的功能。美国国防部副助理部长惠兰在接受美国之音采访时发表上述谈话。
The Defense Department's top Africa official says Africa Command, which has been operating in a preparation phase for eight months, will be ready to take responsibility for all U.S. military engagement with the continent on schedule.
美国国防部这位负责非洲事务的官员说，非洲司令部进行了8个月的准备阶段工作，现已准备好按时担负起美国在非洲大陆军事行动的任务。
"We are confident that by 1 October AFRICOM will be enabled, and will be able to carry out the existing missions of the current combatant commands that are responsible for Africa. And the leadership here in the Pentagon is very committed to doing whatever it takes to make that a reality," she said.
惠兰说：“我们相信，非洲司令部将在10月1日之前开始运作，能够执行非洲现有的战斗指挥任务。五角大楼的领导层都积极地致力于尽力实现这一计划。”
Some military officers outside the Africa Command team have expressed concern about whether the new organization will have the structure and staff necessary to supervise the full spectrum of activities that usually fall under U.S. military regional commands. Those range from training foreign militaries to humanitarian operations to combat. But in an interview for VOA's Press Conference USA, to be broadcast this weekend, Secretary Whelan said Africa Command will be ready.
非洲司令部小组以外的一些军官表示，他们担心新的非洲司令部是否具备监管美军地区司令部通常监管的全方位行动所需的组织机构和工作人员。这些行动包括培训外国军队、实施人道主义行动以及进行战斗。但是惠兰在接受美国之音的《美国记者招待会》节目采访时说，非洲司令部会做好这方面的准备。这个节目将于这个周末播出。
"As far as the kinetics, yes, because that area of the world will fall under Africa Command, to the extent that we find ourselves in a position of having to do things like that it will certainly be the Africa Command commander who will be responsible and will make the recommendations to the secretary of defense," she said.
惠兰说：“正如动力学原理一样，是的，因为世界上这个地区将处于非洲司令部的监管之下，我们不得不有所作为，所以非洲司令部司令自然要担负起责任，并向美国国防部部长提出相关建议。”
Africa Command is to handle all of the continent, except for Egypt, taking over areas now covered by the U.S. commands for Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
非洲司令部是要监管除埃及之外的整个非洲大陆，接管目前由美军欧洲司令部、中东和亚洲司令部所监管的地区。
But officials have said AFRICOM will not have any combat forces permanently assigned, and does not plan to station troops on the continent, beyond the contingent already in Djibouti. One concern is related to U.S. and coalition naval operations off the east coast of Africa, and a senior officer tells VOA decisions about that have not yet been made.
但是有关官员说，非洲司令部不会拥有常设战斗部队，也没有计划在非洲大陆部署部队，除了在吉布提驻扎了一支部队以外。有一个担忧的问题与美国和盟国海军在非洲东海岸的行动有关。一位高级军官对美国之音说，他们对此还没有做出决定。
A decision that has been made is related to the controversial issue of where Africa Command's headquarters will be. U.S. officials had wanted it on the continent by October, but that has been delayed. Theresa Whelan says the headquarters will remain in Germany for now, but she hopes AFRICOM will be able to have offices in several places on the continent before long.
美国国防部对一个有争议的问题做出了决定，就是非洲司令部总部的地点问题。美国官员原来要求10月之前在非洲大陆建立非洲司令部，但是现在推迟了。惠兰说，目前非洲司令部仍然设在德国，但是她希望非洲司令部不久将在非洲大陆的许多地方成立办公室。
"If we are to be able to engage in partnership with African nations we obviously have to be present there. We can't phone it in. Partnership requires being able to look people in the eye and being able to work with them side by side. So, there are certain things that will require, in order for us to be effective, we will have to be present there for sustained periods of time," she said.
She says in addition to the public offer by Liberia to host an AFRICOM site, seven other countries have privately said they would be willing to do so.
她说，除了利比里亚公开表示愿意让美军非洲司令部在利比里亚设立机构以外，还有7个国家已经私下表示也愿意这样做。
AFRICOM is being structured differently than other U.S. combat commands. It has a senior State Department official as one of its deputy commanders, and a sizable contingent of diplomats and aid officials on its staff. Officials say the command's focus will be on development and security assistance, and on helping African countries keep terrorists out.
But Secretary Whelan acknowledges the command will have to demonstrate that to African leaders and their people, many of whom are concerned that the creation of AFRICOM will result in a more militarized U.S. policy toward the continent.
"I think we also recognize that words only go so far and ultimately it's what you do that counts. And so we're fully prepared that the Africans will take a wait-and-see attitude and it'll be up to AFRICOM after 1 October to prove itself to them," she said
Secretary Whelan says Africa Command should have the resources to make its mission clear. She expects it to be provided more money for engagement with the continent than has been possible under the current system, but she could not say exactly how much more money. |