US Africa Command set to welcome new leader as Trump replaces Langley

Business Insider

13-06-2025

President Donald Trump has initiated a leadership transition at the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) as Marine General Michael Langley's two-year term nears its conclusion.
President Donald Trump has initiated a leadership change at the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).
Marine General Michael Langley, the outgoing commander, will be succeeded by Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson.
The transition in AFRICOM leadership reflects ongoing U.S. efforts to maintain security cooperation in Africa.
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the appointment of Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson as the next commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which oversees American military operations and partnerships across most of the African continent.
Anderson, who currently serves as Director of Joint Force Development for the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, will succeed Marine General Michael Langley, whose two-year term is drawing to a close..
General Langley made history in 2022 as the first Black four-star general in the U.S. Marine Corps and the first African American to lead AFRICOM.
The new appointment signals President Donald Trump's intention to preserve the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) as an independent combatant command amid ongoing debates in Washington over its relevance and future.
With Africa's rising geopolitical significance, marked by increasing Chinese, Russian, and Middle Eastern influence, maintaining AFRICOM's autonomy is seen by many analysts as a clear assertion of U.S. commitment to security and diplomatic engagement across the continent.
AFRICOM's Sahel struggles under Langley
AFRICOM plays a critical role in overseeing U.S. military operations and partnerships across Africa, with a central focus on counterterrorism, strategic military training, and support for regional stability.
However, in recent times, the command has found itself at the center of renewed scrutiny and geopolitical controversy, particularly regarding its position on the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a coalition of West African nations including Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso that have shifted toward military-led governance and distanced themselves from traditional Western alliances.
Although Langley had maintained that its mission is not to dictate political transitions but to counter the growing threat of terrorism, particularly in the Sahel, his recent remarks have drawn international attention for their candid tone.
Speaking at a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing earlier this year, Langley directly linked the surge in terrorist activity in the Sahel to external actors exploiting regional instability.
He warned that ' terrorist groups are financing operations through illicit gold trade, ' singling out Burkina Faso as a key flashpoint where extremist groups have gained control of mines and routes vital to the black-market gold economy.
' Burkina Faso has lost significant state control in many of its northern regions, ' Langley said, ' and violent extremist organizations are profiting from gold trafficking, which helps them expand influence and buy weapons. '
He emphasized that such developments undermine regional stability and pose long-term threats to both African and U.S. security interests.
These comments were interpreted by some African observers as a thinly veiled critique of the military regimes in the AES bloc, many of which have expelled Western forces, including French troops, and invited Russian or regional military support instead.
As AFRICOM prepares for a change in leadership, Langley's warnings about terrorist financing and the consequences of political isolation in the Sahel remain urgent reminders of the complex security dynamics the next commander will inherit.