Pentagon to Reduce the Forces in Africa due to Changes in the Priorities

Pentagon to Reduce the Forces in Africa due to Changes in the Priorities

WASHINGTON, the USA (BulgarianMilitary.com) – The Pentagon will reduce the United States troops deployed in Africa due to changes in the priorities as reported by officials on 15th November 2018, learned BulgarianMilitary.com

More forces will be directed toward countering possible threats coming from Russia and China.

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As of the moment, the number of the U.S. military personnel situated in dozens of African nations reaches 7,200 with notable footprints in some places like Libya, Somalia and Nigeria.

Pentagon spokeswoman CDR Candice Tresch announced that number would be decreased by about 10% during the coming several years.

It was not specified by Tresch which countries would see a draw down, however he mentioned that the Pentagon would try not to lose capability in Africa, as well as that the efforts, in some cases, would be redirected mainly to training and advising local forces.

Tresch commented, “We will preserve a majority of our US security cooperation, partnerships and programmes in Africa that strengthen our partner networks and enhance partner capability and ongoing programmes. We will realign our counter-terrorism resources and forces operating in Africa over the next several years in order to maintain a competitive posture worldwide.”

That decision comes as a result of the work of the Pentagon on implementing President Donald Trump’s National Defense Strategy (NDS).

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“Long-term strategic competitions with China and Russia are the principal priorities for the Department, and require both increased and sustained investment, because of the magnitude of the threats they pose to U.S. security and prosperity today, and the potential for those threats to increase in the future. Concurrently, the Department will sustain its efforts to deter and counter rogue regimes such as North Korea and Iran, defeat terrorist threats to the United States, and consolidate our gains in Iraq and Afghanistan while moving to a more resource-sustainable approach,” says the NDS.

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Source: Shephard Media, Summary of the 2018 National Defense Strategy of the United States of America