Africom Nominee Faces Panel

The nominee to head U.S. Africa Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee that if confirmed, he would assume command of a region rife with terrorism. “Terrorist organizations and terrorist activities conducted by such groups as the Islamic State in Libya [and] al-Shabab in Somalia are present and active across the continent,” Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser told the panel during his June 21 confirmation hearing. He also addressed the presence of Boko Haram in Nigeria, and the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda and South Sudan. As Africom leader, he said he would work to bolster weak governments and stem the ethnic difficulties and poverty that foster breeding grounds for terrorism. Should the Senate approve Waldhauser’s nomination, he would pick up a fourth star.