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The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has, since its creation in October 2007, made significant strides by helping its African partners, through exercises like �Africa Endeavour� and �Natural Fire�, to develop security capacity and enhanced interoperability. The Commander of AFRICOM, General William E. �Kip� Ward, who was commenting on the accomplishments of AFRICOM in a release issued in Germany, added that the emergence of AFRICOM has facilitated the improvement of maritime security and domain awareness through AFRICOM programs like the African Partnership Station(APS) and the African Maritime Law Enforcement Program (AMLEP). According to General Ward, AFRICOM will support the defence aspects of President Barack Obama�s five priority areas to which the United States government will support in contributing to a brighter future for Africa. It will be recalled that during his visit to Ghana in July 2009, President Obama said his administration will contribute to a brighter future for Africa in areas such as democracy, opportunity, health, the peaceful resolution of conflicts and transnational challenges. According to General Ward, it is only through security and development that there can be stability and only through stability that there can be hope for the future. He therefore pledged AFRICOM�s total commitment and determination to build partner security capacity in areas such as support and special staff capabilities, the African Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) corps and military/dual use infrastructures and work in concert with partners to strive for a stable Africa. In addition, General Ward said, AFRICOM will reinforce success by building upon those activities that have had positive results as well as address transnational challenges such as terrorism and drug and arms trafficking to help prevent the onset or exacerbation of new tensions. The United States Africa command is one of six US Department of Defence�s regional military headquarters. The other five are the US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, US European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, US Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado, US Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii and the US Southern Command in Miami, Florida. It was in February 2006, having been awakened to the strategic importance of Africa that ex-president George W. Bush and his Defence Secretary, Robert Grates, announced the creation of AFRICOM. In October 2007, US Africa Command began initial operations with the goal of building a headquarters. Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, with General Ward as its first Commander, AFRICOM, in concert with other US government agencies and international partners, conducts military-to-military sponsored activities and other military operations as directed to promote a stable and secure African environment in support of US foreign policy and national interests.