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2020-01-20 Africa Subsaharan

Lawmakers push back at Pentagon's possible Africa drawdown

[The Hill] Defense Secretary Mark Esper's plan to draw down U.S. forces in Africa is facing increased pushback on Capitol Hill.

The top Democrat and Republican on the House Armed Services Committee have joined numerous lawmakers calling on Esper to stop a planned reduction of the 6,000 to 7,000 troops fighting militant terrorist groups on the continent and instead keep the forces in an effort to better counter Russian and Chinese aggression.

"A decrease in our investment now may result in the need for the United States to reinvest at many more times the cost down the road," Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and ranking member Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) wrote in letter to Esper last week.

The letter is a response to a New York Times report in December that found Esper was mulling greatly reducing or completely withdrawing U.S. troops from West Africa in a plan that would focus on several hundred American troops deployed in Niger, Chad and Mali.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-01-20 00:52|| || Front Page|| [13 views ] Top

#1 The looting and murdering, it will be over soon. They'll settle down and begin working things out via diplomatic channels, you'll see.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-01-20 01:06|| 2020-01-20 01:06|| Front Page Top

#2 So, there must be graft in this - but where?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-01-20 01:47|| 2020-01-20 01:47|| Front Page Top

#3 "He who defends everything, defends nothing." ― Frederick the Great

Posted by Procopius2k 2020-01-20 02:14|| 2020-01-20 02:14|| Front Page Top

#4 "Russian and Chinese aggression"

What in the serious fuck.

This is some grade A bullshit. 100% globalism. We have nothing to do with these countries and our troops have no business being there. Out, out, out I say.

Posted by Herb McCoy 2020-01-20 03:45|| 2020-01-20 03:45|| Front Page Top

#5 #4 Damn straight, Herb! Russia, or China, (or anybody outside USA and Israel) are totally incapable of aggression!

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2020-01-20 04:07|| 2020-01-20 04:07|| Front Page Top

"Russian and Chinese aggression"

Permitting the Russians and Chinese to pursue a fool's errand in Africa? What could possibly be the harm ?

Posted by Besoeker 2020-01-20 06:44|| 2020-01-20 06:44|| Front Page Top

#7 Please point out the Russian and Chinese aggression in Africa. I'll wait.

The worst thing that China has done is offered better deals than France and the other European powers.

Posted by Herb McCoy 2020-01-20 09:36|| 2020-01-20 09:36|| Front Page Top

#8 Nobody offers better deals than the Nigerian Princes!

Posted by Skidmark 2020-01-20 10:12|| 2020-01-20 10:12|| Front Page Top

#9 What about a strategy to suck your opponents into the deepest s**tholes possible to suck their resources dry?

Posted by Procopius2k 2020-01-20 10:55|| 2020-01-20 10:55|| Front Page Top

#10 they always bitching and whining about getting out of places. Why not get out of Africa?

Posted by Chris 2020-01-20 12:18|| 2020-01-20 12:18|| Front Page Top

#11 Can’t have it both ways, Morons.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2020-01-20 13:43|| 2020-01-20 13:43|| Front Page Top

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