When a U.S. four-star general retires after four decades of military service, it marks the end of a career. But in the case of General Michael E. Langley—Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)—it also marks the close of one of the most thoughtful and diplomatically significant tenures in recent military memory. His departure comes not only at a pivotal time for Africa, but also for Europe, which is increasingly discovering that its southern flank is not a secondary theater—but a strategic frontline.
My engagement with General Langley has spanned the entirety of his AFRICOM tenure, from asking questions during many defense briefings to conducting in-depth interviews. My most recent conversation took place at the Pentagon on June 4, 2025, shortly before his final posture testimony before the U.S. congressional oversight committee—House Armed Service Committee. In these moments, it became clear to me that Langley’s model of engagement—strategically grounded, diplomatically respectful, and human in tone—offers a blueprint not only for how the United States should engage with Africa, but for how Europe must.
This is not about personality. It is about doctrine.
The Strategic Relevance of the Maghreb
Langley often referred to North Africa as “the Maghreb,” favoring regional terminology over distant classification. Yet beyond semantics, he was pointing to a simple truth that too often escapes policy circles: North Africa is NATO’s southern flank. It is not a neighborhood of secondary consequence—it is a core pillar of European security.
Langley’s leadership kept AFRICOM focused on meaningful, quiet engagement with states like Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. From high-level bilateral defense cooperation agreements to joint participation in multilateral maritime exercises such as Exercise PHOENIX EXPRESS, he recognized that enduring relationships—not episodic interventions—are what define credible security partnerships.
Speaking of the region during our conversation, he noted, “We’ve been able to work these countries for our shared interests—counterterrorism, trying to reduce mass migration, and the other threats and challenges they contend with.”
Europe, particularly southern Europe, is already living with the consequences of North Africa’s instability. Whether in the form of irregular migration, maritime insecurity, or the logistical spread of transnational actors, the Mediterranean is no longer a buffer. Langley understood this deeply.
Leadership Rooted in Humility
What distinguished Langley was not only his understanding of geopolitics, but how he chose to engage.
He worked closely with African youth—not just in formal programs, but through deliberate outreach, including visits to community organizations like Shining Hope for Communities in Nairobi. He viewed young people as the continent’s greatest strategic asset, not a demographic risk to be managed. For example, in November 2024, General joined Kennedy Odede, founder and chief executive officer, Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), in a “tour of the local development’s current educational and programmatic efforts to build promise from poverty by igniting transformation in urban slums in Nairobi, Kenya. While in Kenya, SHOFCO gave AFRICOM direct access to see how its community-led model for transformation is providing health care, sustainable livelihood programs, essential services, clean water, and building female leadership in impoverished communities to create lasting change,” according to past AFRICOM Public Affairs Office reporting.
This approach matters. By engaging with Africa’s youth, Langley was practicing long-range security planning. The implications of Africa’s demographic future—projected to be the youngest and fastest-growing population bloc by 2050—will shape global migration, economics, and governance. Europe, too, will feel these trends intimately.
Langley’s humility was grounded in service, not performance. He often said, “We don’t impose ourselves—AFRICOM—on them. We still engage. And we’re here to help.” That principle—respecting sovereignty, listening before leading—is rare, and increasingly valuable in a world of great power competition and regional distrust.
What Europe Should Glean
Langley’s legacy is not American—it is universal. It shows that Africa should not be approached as an arena for influence, but as a co-equal actor in shaping global security. For Europe, this has three major implications.
First, the EU and NATO must recognize that fragmented engagement in Africa is no longer sustainable. The Maghreb and Sahel are now zones of converging risks: volatility, organized crime, extremist networks, and strategic foreign incursions—especially from Russia and China. What Langley made clear is that effective engagement requires persistent presence and principled partnerships.
Second, security assistance must be redefined. Europe has too often toggled between securitized aid and reluctant disengagement. Langley’s approach was to foster African-led solutions—with measurable benchmarks for independent security capacity. That kind of framework—clear, consultative, and benchmarked—should be central to how Europe supports its African neighbors.
Third, the human dimension must not be neglected. Langley understood that trust is a strategic asset. His engagement with civil society, religious leaders, and local communities wasn’t an accessory to hard power—it was a force multiplier. European policymakers would do well to consider how their own engagements might be reshaped by this ethos.
Legacy as a Call to Action
General Langley leaves behind more than a résumé. He leaves behind a doctrine: of security through sovereignty, of partnership through humility, and of long-term thinking in a world driven by short-term calculus.
His final reflections were both sober and hopeful. “African militaries know that they can take these challenges head-on and set the conditions for their countries to increase their economic viability, to be able to hit prosperity on the global stage.”
For Europe, the message is clear. The African continent is not distant—it is defining. Langley’s tenure reminded us that the right kind of engagement could shape not only the future of African states, but the future of global security.
That is a legacy worth learning from. And emulating.
