Kenya Base ‘Surprisingly’ Undefended During Attack, US Officials Say

[TomSea]

Kenya Base ‘Surprisingly’ Undefended During Attack, US Officials Say

 The Jan. 5. attack by al-Shabaab killed three Americans came as the Pentagon considers a further drawdown of its African presence.

When al-Shabaab attacked a U.S.-used airfield in Kenya, the al Qaeda affiliate took advantage of a woefully undefended perimeter that allowed its fighters to overrun American and Kenyan forces, according to U.S. and military officials familiar with the details of the Jan. 5 attack that killed a U.S. soldier and two U.S. contractors.

The incident lays bare one of the fundamental challenges of the U.S. military’s counterterrorism missions across the sprawling African continent. Roughly 6,000 U.S. troops and defense civilians are responsible for the entire U.S. mission in Africa — with roughly the same number of troops that are stationed in Iraq alone. By June, the Trump administration plans to finish trimming the U.S. presence by “fewer than 130” special operators, officials said last year.

But the attack comes as the Pentagon is considering further reductions to focus on competition or possible conflict with Russia and China.

More at: https://www.defenseone.com/news/2020/01/kenya-base-surprisingly-undefended-us-officials-say/162747/?oref=d-topstory

[rangerrebew]

 Kenya base ‘surprisingly’ undefended during attack, US officials say

February 03, 2020 Katie Bo Williams - DefenseOne


When al-Shabaab attacked a U.S.-used airfield in Kenya, the al Qaeda affiliate took advantage of a woefully undefended perimeter that allowed its fighters to overrun American and Kenyan forces, according to U.S. and military officials familiar with the details of the Jan. 5 attack that killed a U.S. soldier and two U.S. contractors.

The incident lays bare one of the fundamental challenges of the U.S. military’s counterterrorism missions across the sprawling African continent. Roughly 6,000 U.S. troops and defense civilians are responsible for the entire U.S. mission in Africa — with roughly the same number of troops that are stationed in Iraq alone. By June, the Trump administration plans to finish trimming the U.S. presence by “fewer than 130” special operators, officials said last year.

But the attack comes as the Pentagon is considering further reductions to focus on competition or possible conflict with Russia and China.

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/02/kenya-base-surprisingly-undefended-during-attack-us-officials-say/