The U.S. is preparing to draw down in Africa in order to concentrate on broader geopolitical threats. ‘As the department implements the [National Defense Strategy] to maintain our global military advantage, we are moving to a more resource-sustainable approach with our counter violent extremist organization campaign,’ Pentagon spokeswoman Navy Cmdr. Candice Tresch said in a statement. The military has about 7,200 forces deployed in Africa, and will cut about 10 percent of those forces over the next few years, Tresch said. The cuts, however, are the exact opposite of what U.S. Africa Command’s leadership has called for. Even before the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, AFRICOM had called for more U.S. military resources there, especially air support, to be able to counter rising levels of violent extremist organization capabilities and secondly to counter a vast investment by Russia and China throughout the continent.”
Source: DoD is stretched thin and plans to pull back in Africa
