US power projection in Subsaharan Africa (SSA), as well as US Africa policy in general, occurs somewhat under the radar of public and media attention. The presence of the former colonial powers, namely the UK and France, and the recent massive expansion of Chinese activities in SSA overshadow the US engagement in SSA. Do they outweigh it? Certainly, after the end of Cold War surrogate conflicts supported by the US and the Soviet Union, respectively, SSA’s relevance for US foreign policy and geopolitical considerations has greatly diminished, regardless of who sits in the White House and whether they can correctly name SSA countries. Nevertheless, US power always carries great weight, if only potentially, and so it is worthwhile to take a closer look at US Africa policy, in historical perspective but with a focus on the challenges SSA faces in the 21st century, i.e., international terrorism, climate change, demographic change, premature de-industrialization, urbanization, and migration. close