THE Pentagon has announced the establishment of a new body to focus on African military issues. The African Centre for Strategic Studies [ACSS] has been given a budget of $42 million by the US Department of Defence for its first six years of operations. The administration of the Centre will be based in Washington DC in the short-term. But within two years the organisers aim to locate the centre permanently in an African country, and South Africa is being discussed as a prime location. The centre will be a forum for what organisers call ‘frank and open’ discussions about military issues. Every African country – except Libya and Sudan who remain under US boycott – will be asked to nominate military representatives and representatives from civil-military groups, to attend a wide range of workshops and seminars.