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Expect Congress to Block Africa Troop Cuts, Says Defense Panel Chairman

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02.27.2020 at 11:21pm

Expect Congress to Block Africa Troop Cuts, Says Defense Panel Chairman by Joe Gould – Defense News

The upcoming 2021 defense policy bill will likely restrict the Pentagon from reducing its footprint in Africa, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday.

As Defense Secretary Mark Esper mulls plans to cut some of the 6,000 U.S. military personnel in Africa, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., took separate trips to Africa this month and returned defending the American troop presence there.

Whether Pentagon proposes the cuts or not, Smith said it’s likely the nascent National Defense Authorization Bill would provide a vehicle for the growing Capitol Hill consensus around protecting that presence. If so, it could be a lifeline to African nations who rely on the U.S. to train their forces to combat surging terrorist activity…

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