Small Wars Journal

Pentagon Mulling Cuts to Force in Africa, Milley Says

Tue, 01/14/2020 - 5:52pm

Pentagon Mulling Cuts to Force in Africa, Milley Says by John Vandiver – Stars & Stripes

The Pentagon is considering plans to reduce the number of troops it has in Africa so they can be redeployed to other missions, including a larger role in the Pacific, the military’s top officer said.

“We’re developing options for the secretary to consider, and we are developing those options in coordination with our allies and partners,” Gen. Mark Milley told Agence France-Presse Monday as he traveled to Brussels to meet with fellow NATO military chiefs.

The topic of a possible U.S. cutback in Africa is likely to come up during closed-door talks with ally France, which uses American logistical and intelligence support for counterterrorism missions in West Africa.

Military assets “could be reduced and then shifted, either to increase readiness of the force in the continental U.S. or shifted to” the Pacific, Milley was quoted as saying…

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