SOCOM Head On Global Terrorism: ‘I Think It’s Spread’
"I don't see a direct threat to the homeland today, but I think it's something that we have to be aware of," Gen. Richard Clarke said.
By Andrew Eversden on November 02, 2021 at 11:29 AM
WASHINGTON: The commander of US special operations forces believes that the global terrorist threat has “metastasized” and counterterrorism operations remain a requirement for his forces, even as the Defense Department shifts its focus to the Pacific.
“The threat — I think a good description is metastasized,” Army Gen. Richard Clarke told the Oct. 29 Military Reporters and Editors Association conference. “It’s gone into areas of Africa, where they could seek sanctuary and where there may be some areas of sanctuary that we have to look at. And when I say it is not diminished, I think it’s spread.”
Clarke’s comments come just a few months after the United States’ frantic withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending nearly two decades of war against the Taliban and resulting in the Taliban’s takeover of the country. As the US military pivots to focus on the threats posed by China and Russia, SOCOM’s need to undertake counterterrorism operations “is still a requirement,” Clarke said.
https://breakingdefense.com/2021/11/socom-head-on-global-terrorism-i-think-its-spread/
