The Obama administration’s official policy of moving away from phrases like “Global War on Terrorism” and “Islamic extremists” does not change the reality of what we face in the world today. The recent terrorist attack in Kampala, Uganda, serves as evidence that a shift in semantics does not change the fact that we are engaged in a struggle against terrorism that is global in scale. The Ugandan attack, which targeted innocent civilians gathered together to watch the World Cup soccer final, should shake us to the core and awaken us to the truth that we cannot neglect a place like Africa. Having had over a hundred country visits in Africa, I have seen first-hand the need for our presence there to create the stability necessary for maturing democracies while partnering with African nations to address national-security concerns. Individuals like General Ward, organizations like Africa Command and Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa, and diplomatic endeavors are vital to this overall effort. However, they remain woefully under-resourced and under-focused relative to what is needed to assist African nations to stabilize the continent, help them build democracies, and defeat an ever-evolving terrorist network. African countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, and Ethiopia deserve credit for banding together to defeat al-Shabab in order to retain a stable, popularly supported national government in Somalia. However, even these efforts have been underfunded. While recent budget increases for Foreign Military Funding and International Military Education and Training are commendable, our efforts in Africa are still falling considerably short. The Africa Command remains terribly understaffed, lacking substantial organic air, ground, and sea forces. At the same time, we are lacking intelligence-collection assets and the resources to be an optimal influencer in the region. President Obama and the Defense Department are looking for ways to save $2 billion in defense dollars, but as recent events prove, we must not allow important funds to be siphoned away from our efforts in Africa. Instead, we should reprioritize our focus and resourcing to combat the increasingly significant threats there. Over the past few years, there has been a litany of overt terrorist attacks garnering little to no serious focus on our part. In addition to the multiple attacks, there are other signs that the threat is growing across the continent of Africa, and the nations there need our continued support in order to provide security and stability. We must not wait. Terror networks are well entrenched in Somalia and have extended their operational reach to Uganda, with intentions of carrying their efforts to Burundi, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Sadly, except for brief periods after such attacks as this past weekend’s, Americans have not paid much attention to what has been taking place in Africa. As a result, we are in danger of being lulled back into a pre-9/11 mentality that views such events as far removed. These organizations are already successfully recruiting American citizens, and they would stop at nothing to send them back to our soil to conduct attacks. This is why the cries for greater United States involvement, as voiced by regional national leaders, are justified. My own experience tells me we are not doing enough in Africa. Instead of finding ourselves behind the curve, as we did in Afghanistan, we must provide the resources and focus now to prevent the viral spread of terrorism. We do not have the leisure of making our past mistakes of ignoring African issues such as the Rwandan genocide and the deadly conflicts in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo. Instead, we must understand that instability in the region will have catastrophic impacts on our ability to interdict and defeat al-Qaeda and its affiliates. Like it or not, we are in a Global War on Terror. We must recognize that changing semantics will not bring this war to an end. To achieve victory, we must invest in a strategy that stays ahead of the terrorists. This is nowere more true than in a place like Africa, a continent that holds a significant and strategic place in the world and warrants more of our focus and attention. – Sen. Jim Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, is a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.