Pentagon may pull forces out of Niger
The Pentagon is considering withdraw- ing nearly all U.S. commandos from Niger in the wake of a deadly October ambush against a Green Beret team that killed four U.S. soldiers.
Three Defense Department officials said the plans, if approved by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, would also close military outposts in Tunisia,
Cameroon, Libya and Kenya, as well as seven of the eight U.S. elite counterterrorism units operating in Africa.
The shift in forces is part of the Pentagon’s defense strat- egy to focus on threats from China and Russia. But they represent a more severe cut of Special Operations forces in Africa than initially expected, leaving a lasting, robust mil- itary presence primarily in Somalia and Nigeria.
The proposal does not say that any additional troops would return to Africa even as Special Operations units gradually draw down. Offi- cials said that could reverse progress that has been made against al-Qaida and Islamic State group affiliates, while diminishing alliances across Africa as Russia and China increase their influence.
With the reassignment of the counterterrorism teams, U.S. troops could also lose the ability to partner with local forces who act as surrogates to help track and hunt down insurgents. It could also strip
those local forces of some of the more advanced U.S. gear they are given when teamed up with U.S. troops.
The military’s Special Oper- ations Command is autho- rized to spend up to $100 million annually to support
partner forces around the world under the program, known as 127e. The command spent $80 million during the 2017 fiscal year to finance 21 of the programs worldwide, Gen. Tony Thomas, the Special Operations commander, told Congress in February.
The Pentagon’s defense strategy, issued in January, represents a renewed shift from fighting the insurgent wars of the last 16 years to large state-on-state conflicts.
To comply with the proposed change, the U.S. Africa Command will reas
sign hundreds of U.S. troops that are currently spread across the continent. That move is expected to be carried out over the next 18 to 36 months, but one Defense Department official said the timeline was likely to be accelerated.