Defense secretary eyes pullout from West Africa: report

[rangerrebew]

Defense secretary eyes pullout from West Africa: report
By Rebecca Klar - 12/24/19 07:54 AM EST
 
 

Defense Secretary Mark Esper is considering pulling U.S. troops from West Africa as part of a plan to shift deployments of the approximately 200,000 American forces stationed abroad, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Under consideration is a plan to abandon a recently built $110 million drone base in Niger, and end assistance to French forces battling militants in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, the Times reports.

The Pentagon will review Africa Command as part of what is being called a “blank slate” review of global operations, according to the newspaper, which added that an initial decision about Africa is expected in January.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/475810-defense-secretary-eyes-pullout-from-west-africa-report

[Fishrrman]

"Defense Secretary Mark Esper is considering pulling U.S. troops from West Africa as part of a plan to shift deployments of the approximately 200,000 American forces stationed abroad"

Get them out of there.
Shift the "deployments" to the USA/Mexico border.
Put them on duty doing something useful for a change.
Something that is actually related to protecting us here at home !

[Elderberry]

Pentagon examining a reduction of the US footprint in West Africa

Military Times by: Diana Stancy Correll 12/24/2019

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/12/24/pentagon-examining-a-reduction-of-the-us-footprint-in-west-africa/

In particular, reduction options on the table include vacating Nigerien Air Base 201, which just became operational in November and cost $110 million. U.S. Africa Command announced last month that intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations previously conducted out of a base in Niamey, Niger, are now being conducted out of Nigerien Air Base 201 in Agadez.

Likewise, U.S. officials claim another possibility being considered is eliminating assistance to French forces in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, a possibility the Times reported has taken aback U.S. allies in the region like France, which has approximately 4,500 troops in West Africa.

A potential reduction — or total withdrawal — is reportedly part of a larger examination the Pentagon is conducting to re-evaluate global deployments while it looks to redirect forces from counterterrorism efforts so that it can better counter aggression by China and Russia.