DoD is Stretched Thin and Plans to Pull Back in Africa by Tara Copp – Military Times
On the heels of a national report that the U.S. military lacks the global resources to meet China or Russia in a potential future conflict, the Pentagon began some belt-tightening, announcing a long-anticipated reduction in forces for U.S. Africa Command.
“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…
Mattis Cuts U.S. Troop Numbers in Africa by 10 Percent by Carla Babb - VOA News
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is cutting hundreds of U.S. troops from Africa so he can use those resources for potential future conflicts with Russia and China.
Pentagon spokeswoman Navy Cmdr. Candice Tresch told VOA the move will cut roughly 700 counterterrorism troops and their enablers from West Africa. That is about 10 percent of U.S. Africa Command's presence on the continent.
"Operations in Libya, Somalia and Djibouti remain largely unchanged," she said.
The Pentagon's new National Defense Strategy (NDS) emphasizes near-peer competition over counterterrorism…