Although Namibia and Angola currently face no major security threats, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) is working to ensure the two countries remain secure and prepared to respond to any potential future challenges.

AFRICOM's Deputy Commander, John Brennan, has said the threats of drug cartels and jihadists around the borders of the two countries call for preparedness. 

Lieutenant General Brennan made the remarks during the digital press briefing with African journalists. 

"Security is security. It's really preventative. There are jihadist groups that operate all along the periphery of both Angola and Namibia. ISIS has franchises in Mozambique and South Africa, as well as an emerging Mexican drug cartel issue that we think is going to—is getting worse over time. That's emanating from South Africa and from coastal West Africa. We want to keep Namibia and Angola free of those threats, as well as to prepare them for any future threats through the training and exercise program, as well as the equipping."

Brennan, with the Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Engagement, Ambassador Robert Scott, paid a visit to Namibia and Angola, underscoring U.S. Africa Command's continued commitment to strengthening partnerships.

Scott emphasised the need to promote stability and collective defence through cost-effective, African-led solutions that minimise direct U.S. military involvement.

"What struck me in the visit was how tightly interlocked security is with prosperity, with economic development. And we saw that, especially with the maritime and trade issues, when we were in Namibia, I heard a lot about Walvis Bay and their undertaking to turn that into what they're hoping will be a regional hub for transhipment of goods. And of course, when we were in Angola, in the Lobito Corridor, the United States was taking a leap in helping the region develop the transformational corridor for trade. So it was interesting for me to see how all these things are tied together, especially with the maritime domain, an area that we're working closely with the maritime domain awareness on, things like that."

Africom, they stressed, will support plans to turn Walvis Bay into a regional hub for marine security and trade. 

Africom is one of the U.S. military's eleven unified combatant commands and is responsible for U.S. military operations and partnerships across Africa.