Cato Expert: AFRICOM and Other COCOMs Are Costly, Dysfunctional, and Should Go

In a new piece for The National Interest, Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, makes the case for abolishing the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). He argues that we shouldn’t stop at AFRICOM and that “the Trump administration should shut down all the regional Combatant Commands (COCOMs).”

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He points out that they are unnecessary, contribute to the bloat of the general officer corps, and make the military more dysfunctional.

Logan contends the presence of these COCOMs has done little to improve outcomes. He states, “If Trump and Hegseth view mounting defense costs, bloating in the officer corps, and institutional pressures for war as problems to solve, they should consider shuttering AFRICOM, but they should also keep going and take direct aim at the regional Combatant Commands.”

If you would like to speak with Logan, please contact pr@​cato.​org.