U.S. Presence in Africa: Preserving National Interests and Competing with China to Achieve Strategic and Defensive Objectives

U.S. interests in Africa are geostrategic, economic, political, and humanitarian. A knowledge and awareness of Africas strategic importance are essential to the military profession both as tactical operators and as operational planners. This research examines the preservation of United States interests and successful achievement of national security and defense objectives as they relate to Africa. Additionally, this research advances the idea that as China arguably exercises unconditional foreign policy in Africa to build political allies and garner natural resources to fuel its aggressively growing economy, the U.S. needs to utilize all instruments of national power to broaden its involvement with Africa or risk endangering U.S. interests and failure to achieve objectives of U.S. national security and defense.