USA: Lt. Gen. Michael E. Langley has been chosen to command American forces in Africa; his confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday. 

One of the few young Black Marines stationed in the prestigious downtown D.C. barracks at the time, Langley was a first lieutenant. General Bailey, who attained the rank of three stars, took notice. that counselled Langley based on his own knowledge and that of the Black Marines who had served as his mentors. 

After more than three decades, Langley will come under scrutiny once more after being nominated to serve as the head of U.S. Africa Command and command all American forces in Africa. If confirmed by the Senate, Langley will have his confirmation hearing on Thursday and will become the first Black person to be awarded four stars since the U.S. Marine Corps was established 246 years ago. More than 70 White men have attained the highest ranks in the Marines during that time.

Other than Bailey, only a few Black men have risen to the rank of three-star general in the Marine Corps. In the Army, Air Force, and Navy, other Black officers have attained the rank of four star. However, Black Marines rarely saw anyone who resembled them in positions of authority and occasionally wondered if it was even possible.

The fourth Black man to be promoted to the rank of three-star general, retired Lt. Gen. Walter Gaskin, said, "As you looked at the horizon, you saw the end." "There was nobody over there, so you couldn't see what was over the horizon."

Langley has served in Japan, Afghanistan, and Somalia. He oversaw U.S. Marine Corps Forces in Europe and Africa and held important positions at the Pentagon. He is currently in charge of the Marines' East Coast operations. He was straightforward, extremely competent, and not the type of Marine to "beat on the table," according to Gaskin.

Gaskin has told Langley, "You have all the credentials in the world." "There's no question that you deserve this,"

However, Gaskin noted that there were some others who also merited a fourth star. He cited Lt. Gen. Frank Petersen, the first Marine to hold the rank of three-star general, as an illustration of someone who "no doubt" ought to have received the promotion to four-star general.

Gaskin noted that this occasion is not just one of great pride. It also serves as a reminder of the challenges that delayed its arrival. "You carry the legacy... the weight of all those who came before you who didn't have the same opportunities," he claimed to have told Langley directly.

The third Black Marine to receive three stars, retired Lt. Gen. Willie Williams, claimed that Langley and so many other Black Marines' "commitment to purpose and perseverance" were responsible for his promotion.

The second Black Marine to receive three stars and retired Lt. Gen. Ronald Coleman said of Langley's promotion, "Even thinking about it gives me chills."

A spokesman for Langley stated that the general is preoccupied with the Senate confirmation hearing and has declined to give an interview for this story.

According to a spokeswoman, Langley would assume command of roughly 6,000 American troops in Africa, including about 1,300 in West Africa and about 3,500 at a base in Djibouti, and would be based in Stuttgart, Germany. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, who is retiring, would be succeeded by him.

U.S. forces are primarily involved in assisting African militaries with training and capacity-building. Although fatal attacks on American soldiers in Niger and Kenya in recent years have increased scrutiny of the mission from US lawmakers, direct combat is a rare occurrence. Under President Biden, hundreds of Special Operations soldiers will once again be sent to Somalia this year. Before leaving office, President Donald Trump ordered all American troops out of Somalia.

The Brookings Institution senior fellow Michael O'Hanlon claimed that the U.S. military in Africa faces "unique challenges." The U.S. is concentrating on assisting governments in addressing a number of issues related to climate change, population growth, and political instability rather than focusing on a single threat. The United States' main concerns are the insurgencies in the Sahel region and the expanding use of Russian mercenaries.

Where can you meaningfully make a difference without deploying massive forces or taking on liabilities, O'Hanlon advised Langley and other leaders to inquire.

After his predecessor was fired over allegations of using a racial slur for Black Americans in front of troops, Langley, who was for a time based in Stuttgart, took over as commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa in November 2020. When asked about the allegations against his predecessor at the time, Langley declined to comment, telling Stars and Stripes in an interview that racial issues in the military and society as a whole were still "evolving."

Langley is frequently reserved, but he can also be engaging and warm, attracting people to him, according to retired Gen. Robert Neller, who served as the Marine Corps commandant from September 2015 to July 2019. According to Neller, "He gets things done, and people generally enjoy working for him."

According to retired Lt. Gen. H. Stacy Clardy III, who has worked with Langley on a number of occasions, including at the Pentagon, Langley is regarded among the generals as a "quiet professional" who "listens more than he talks." According to Clardy, Langley was one of the people he could depend on because of his "flawless judgement."

Langley has shared with friends and mentors that his father's decision to leave his position as an Air Force noncommissioned officer was one of his most influential childhood experiences. Willie C. Langley did this after learning from his superiors that he would have to make another overseas deployment. He was the main caregiver for Langley and his siblings after their mother passed away, and that move would have separated them. According to Bailey, Langley frequently recounts that incident, emphasising how his father's choice to prioritise his family over his career prevented him from becoming the person he is today.

Years later, when Langley learned that he had attained the rank of general and received his first star, his first words were, "I can't wait to tell my dad," Bailey recalled.

Several three-star generals, including Langley, attended the commissioning of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in May in Petersen's honour. Petersen was the first Black Marine aviator and three-star general. Williams, the third Black Marine to receive three stars, stated that there were rumours of Langley's nomination, but it was too soon to discuss the possibility in detail.

Instead, Gilbert "Hashmark" Johnson, one of the first Black men to join the Marines after the force started to integrate in 1942, was what Williams claimed he thought of when he considered the past that had made the moment possible. Williams pondered how many upcoming Marines would be able to recognise themselves in Langley and pursue greater aspirations. And he considered the obligation Langley and other Black Marines still had to uphold.

He declared, "We live on the shoulders of those who have come before us. "And after that, we give people shoulders to stand on."

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