US troop levels in Africa have become a massive political issue this year, with the Pentagon talking about some troop cuts to put them elsewhere, and years of AFRICOM claims that the US vitally needed in Africa for the global war on terror still having currency even though AFRICOM has stopped pushing that narrative.
Congressional Democrats are now opposing those troop transfers because the old narrative doesn’t match with the new narrative, which ironically was an even older Asia pivot plan that the Pentagon previously had to abandon to put the troops in Africa.
A bill sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) is being introduced which would forbid any money being spent removing any US troops from Africa in a way that would reduce overall troop levels. That means troop rotations can happen, but the 5,200 US troops in Africa must remain throughout the year.
The bill further demands unclassified reports on the impact of withdrawing troops from Africa, as well as reports on China’s growing influence in Africa. The assumption is that all of this will harm the case for a troop transfer.
The constitutionality of such a bill is uncertain. Though troop levels are often a political issue, and Congress does have a say on major overseas deployments, it is not well established that Congress can forbid a deployment from ending, keeping the troops in Africa just because it doesn’t want the president to withdraw them.
I think little Jimmy Panetta should be sent to Africa to oversee things and be forced to stay there year round as long as American troops are there.
Might as well make it a father/son package and send Leon with him.
Ah, those antiwar Democrats … If we only had more of them …
“Our European partners, such as France, rely on our intelligence and logistic support for operations within West Africa,” Graham wrote in a January letter to Esper, in which he opposed the rumored cuts. The letter, co-signed by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., added that “Any withdrawal or reduction would likely result in a surge in violent extremist attacks on the continent and beyond as well as increase the geopolitical influence of competitors like Russia and China.”
Getting in bed with Lindsey. The dems should be proud. Pull the plug, there is no hope.
“geopolitical influence of competitors like Russia and China.”
Anybody notice that these two actually help the peoples and not destroy them.
Huh – a Dem controlled House too.
How terrible if the wonderful democratic humanitarian peacemaker USA should ever actually leave any part of the globe to allow sovereign countries to rule themselves.