The routine standing force ensures inter- national waterways remain open to shipping in the region and provides forward deployed U.S. forces during hostilities. The optional forces available to USCENTCOM are used in crisis situations. They were deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. Africa Looking at the strategic importance of Africa, we need to divide Africa into northern Africa and southern Africa. From a naval viewpoint, northern Africa is important because it borders the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. From an economic or strategic resources viewpoint, southern Africa is important because of the vast wealth in minerals it exports to developed countries. NORTHERN AFRICA. —Countries  receiving Soviet military aid in northern Africa include Guinea,  Mali,  Algeria,  Libya,  Egypt,  and Ethiopia. Of those countries, only Libya has been openly hostile to the United States. For many years Libya openly sponsored terrorist groups and carried out acts of aggression in the Gulf of Sidra. However, Libya has decreased its level of aggression since the U.S. Navy lead Operation El Dorado on 15 April 1986. Operation El Dorado was a joint Air Force and Navy mission composed of strike aircraft based aboard the USS America (CV66) and USS Coral Sea (CV43) and F-111 Air Force bombers based in England. Using a high-speed, low- altitude approach, 12 Navy A-6Es struck the Benin airfield and Benghazi military barracks. At the same time, 12 F-111s struck the Aziziyah barracks, the Sidi Bilal terrorist training camp, and the Tripoli military airport. Navy and Marine F/A-18s destroyed surface-to-air missile sites, while Navy E-2Ds, Navy and Marine EA-6Bs, and Air Force F-11 1s provided electronic counter- measures and command and control support. Navy F-14s and F/A-18s were on station to provide fighter support. The successful attack caught the Libyans by surprise. Except for sporadic surface-to-air missiles, the Libyans did not engage the U.S. strike force. The United States’ display of force and stated willingness to strike again has played a major role in deterring Libyan President Muammar Muhammad al-Qaddafi from sponsoring further terrorist attacks against Americans. The main mission of the Navy in the North African region is to keep the sea-lanes open. The secondary mission is to support interest and political goals in the region. The major challenger to U.S. sea power in the African theater of operations is the Soviet Union. Minor challengers include Libya (31-42 ships) and Guinea (2-3 ships). SOUTHERN AFRICA. —The Soviets wish to increase their influence in southern Africa. Countries currently friendly to the Soviets include Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia. STRATEGIC RESOURCES. —Africa is among the world’s richest continents in known mineral wealth. It has a large share of the world’s mineral resources in coal, petroleum, natural gas, uranium, radium, low-cost thorium, and other valuable ores. The abundant natural resources available in Africa make it strategically important to Western nations. The Navy may now appear to have no role in this area except in the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea. However, we may be called upon to support U.S. interest in the many regional conflicts happening in Africa. An example of one of the regional conflicts is the civil war in Liberia, on Africa’s western coast. President Bush ordered a Marine amphibious group to that area in May 1990 to evacuate personnel. Through September 1990, the Marines evacuated more than 2,100 people, including over 200 U.S. citizens. The Far East Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base are strategically important to U.S. interests in the Far East. We could lose both bases because their leases must be periodically renegotiated with the Philippine government. These bases are on the sea-lanes and air routes to the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Both bases played a vital role in Operation Desert Shield. The bases also play a vital role in extending the range of U.S. forces. Much of the world’s oil that travels by ship through the various straits in the Indonesian area are within range of U.S. bases in the Philippines. The U.S. strategic objective in the East Asia and Pacific area is to deter war. Strategic strike capability, Pacific Command (PACOM) forces, bilateral defense treaties, forward deployment and basing, and weapons technology all contribute to deterrence in the region. If deterrence fails, the United States and the Soviet Union could become 1-9