With President Trump granted ever more extensive leeway for his military commanders, especially in Africa, African Command (AFRICOM) has begun to massively ramp up its drone war capacity, apparently envisioning continent-wide coverage.
To that end, the US drone facilities in Algeria and Niger are likely to see precipitous growth in the years to come, and have gotten permission to preposition large amounts of jet fuel at those sites to cover the expanding growth.
Niger’s base is particularly likely to see a lot of growth, with the US having just gotten Nigerien permission to launch armed drones in the country. Previously, the drone base was only allowed to fly surveillance drones.
Historically, the US had been very secretive about the sites and capacities of their overseas drone bases, particularly those in countries far from their primary war zones. Lately, however, the expectation is that everywhere is a potential war zone, and having drone coverage everywhere is desirable for commanders.
Who needs the “deep state” when we are in deep ….?