Biden's troop drawdown could extend far beyond Afghanistan
Moment may be ripe for major reconfiguration of forces
By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times
Saturday, July 17, 2021
Afghanistan may be the first domino to fall in a much broader restructuring of America’s military footprint across the broader Middle East and Central Asia.
While both of President Biden‘s predecessors fell short in their military “pivots” toward Asia and a rising China, some foreign policy analysts say the stars have now aligned for an overhaul that’s been nearly a decade in the making. At Mr. Biden‘s direction, the Pentagon is in the midst of a landmark “global force posture review” that could lay the groundwork for a major reconfiguration of U.S. troops around the world, including the potential withdrawal of thousands of forces from bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and elsewhere across a theater that’s consumed American foreign policy in the post-9/11 era.
The document is expected to be released later this summer. A Pentagon official said it will “identify longer-term strategic considerations for future analysis,” meaning it could provide a baseline for the commander in chief to initiate a long-term shift in where U.S. troops are stationed and the level of resources allocated to specific regions.
Nowhere would such a change be more apparent than the Middle East. Some specialists argue that by taking the politically risky move of pulling forces from the region, Mr. Biden is poised to free up both manpower and materiel to focus on China and other 21st-century threats — though such a strategy will come with its own major foreign policy risks.
https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jul/17/bidens-troop-drawdown-could-extend-far-beyond-afgh/
