{"id":34801,"date":"2019-02-20T15:33:54","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T15:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/20\/understaffed-africom-cutting-hundreds-more-troops\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:00:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:00:19","slug":"understaffed-africom-cutting-hundreds-more-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/02\/20\/understaffed-africom-cutting-hundreds-more-troops\/","title":{"rendered":"Understaffed AFRICOM cutting hundreds more troops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MUNICH \u2014 U.S. Africa Command has begun cutting up to 10 percent of its forces from the continent in response to U.S. security challenges elsewhere, the top U.S. commander for Africa told reporters at the Munich Security Conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are approximately 6,000 U.S. troops and 1,000 DoD civilians or contractors based throughout Africa, who are primarily tasked with training and exercising with partner African forces, said AFRICOM commander U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AFRICOM has been chronically under resourced despite a host of terror groups on the continent. Over the last two years, the U.S. has increased its efforts against the Islamic State, particularly in Somalia and Libya. However security gaps remain, highlighted by the 2012 fatal attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi<\/a> and again during the failed 2017 raid in Niger.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But AFRICOM will not be growing. Instead it has been tasked to cut its forces in order to shift resources to prepare for potential future conflicts <\/a>against Russia or China.<\/p>\n\n\n\t