STUTTGART, Germany — Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward is a man on the move.

Earlier this month he was in Washington, where U.S. Africa Command’s status as the military’s sixth unified command was finally made official. During the trip, Ward continued a conversation that’s been ongoing: explaining what his much talked about command is all about.

Next week, Ward will discuss similar matters, but with a very different audience as a guest speaker at Boston University. The subject for the students: "United States Africa Command: Moving Forward in Partnership."

But on Friday, Ward was back on his home turf in Stuttgart, where AFRICOM’s colors were unfurled during a ceremony filed with traditional military pageantry. Though the event was to commemorate the start of the AFRICOM venture, that didn’t mean Ward would escape from explaining his mission.

After thanking numerous agencies and people who helped get the upstart command off the ground, Ward reiterated a message he’s been hammering at for the past year: AFRICOM’s intent is to "compliment, not conflict" with the interests of Africa’s nations.

"Challenges do lie ahead, but there are great opportunities," he told the crowd at Kelley Barracks.

During the ceremony, such sentiments were echoed by a diverse crowd, including a military official from Africa.

Brig. Gen. Jean de Martha Jaotody, an African Union commander, said U.S. Africa Command has a chance to help prevent conflict and work against the destabilizing forces of poverty and disease, "which are making Africa fertile ground for breeding terrorism."

In talking of the various challenges on the continent, Jaotody cautioned against an approach that seeks quick fixes and immediate results. A long-tem commitment is needed, he said.

Ward, during his remarks, took the opportunity to reassure the African general.

"We are there for the long haul," Ward said.

Since it was first announced in 2007, AFRICOM has garnered much attention. As the U.S. military fights two wars, a heightened focus on Africa raised many eyebrows. Was there a hidden agenda? Was it about the oil? Critics also questioned whether the military would overshadow humanitarian work already being conducted by aid organizations.

Ward, however, emphasizes that his focus is mainly on helping African countries that want to bolster their ability to secure their own countries.

"We work as a primary focus on trying to help the nations of Africa increase their security with the hopes of preventing a conflict as opposed to having to react to conflict," Ward said.

United States Agency for International Development, which runs numerous programs in Africa, says working in tandem with the new command will make its efforts more effective.

"USAID recognizes how fundamental security is to our mission," Katherine Almquist, USAID’s assistant administrator for Africa, said during the ceremony. "We look forward to the additional focus Africa Command will bring to this process."

One aspect that distinguishes AFRICOM and its mission from the military’s five other unified commands is how power within the organization is structured.

Mary Carlin Yates, a senior U.S. diplomat, serves as Ward’s deputy commander for civil military activities. The former ambassador to the Republic of Burundi says the command is breaking new ground. "It’s a little bit of an experiment," she said. "I think it helps the command plan and think through internally how we can be more effective as we engage with the embassies on the ground."

Indeed, forming partnerships is a hallmark feature of the command, Ward said.

With AFRCIOM, "We can organize ourselves in a way that’s more effective in delivering programs in conjunction with our partners. Both our international partners as well as our partners in Africa in more effective way," Ward said.