The decision by President George W. Bush to create United States Africa Command (Africom) sparked considerable controversy and debate, and African governments and non-governmental organizations have reacted with a mixture of caution and outright rejection. It’s Commander, General William E “KIP” Ward, who joined the U.S. army in 1971 and is the only African American four-star general on active duty, believes much of the criticism is waning, as he explained in an interview with All Africa in his Pentagon office. Excerpts: