U.S. to reduce troops, missions in Africa
The New York Times
STUTTGART,Germany — Hundreds of U.S. troops in Africa would be reassigned and the number of Special Operations missions on the continent would be wound down under plans submitted by a top military commander, a response to the Trump administration’s strategy to increasingly focus on threats fromChina and Russia.
Defense Department officials said they expected most of the troop cuts and scaledback missions to come from Central and West Africa, where Special Operations missions have focused on training African militaries to combat the growing threat from extremist Islamic militant groups.
The plan by Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, the leader of U.S. Africa Command, follows an ambush in Niger last fall that killed four American soldiers and an attack in southwestern Somalia that killed another in June.
In an interview, Gen. Waldhauser said his plan would help streamline the military’s ability to combat threats around the world — but would not retreat from Africa.
“We’re not walking away,” Gen. Waldhauser said at his German headquarters last week, adding that the United States would still “reserve the right to unilaterally return” to protect American interests.
Africa increasingly has become an emerging battlefield for the United States in the fight against Islamic militant groups, including the Islamic State, Boko Haram and others across the continent that have sworn loyalty to al-Qaida.
None of the offshoots of those groups has directly attacked the United States from Africa. But the Pentagon has for years sought to train local forces to deal with Islamic extremists in Africa — in part to distance the United States from any threats brewing on thecontinent.
Carter F. Ham, a retired Army general who once led Africa Command, said he agreed “in principle” with paying more attention to Russia and China — the notion at the heart of a national defense strategy unveiled in January by Defense SecretaryJim Mattis.
But, Mr. Ham said, “my concern in Africa is that with an already very modest presence and level of engagement, reducing that will lessen the likelihood for good outcomes acrossthe continent.”