{"id":56250,"date":"2018-08-02T18:36:01","date_gmt":"2018-08-02T18:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/02\/report-africom-looks-to-cut-special-ops-missions-pull-out-hundreds-of-troops-from-africa\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:11:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:11:23","slug":"report-africom-looks-to-cut-special-ops-missions-pull-out-hundreds-of-troops-from-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2018\/08\/02\/report-africom-looks-to-cut-special-ops-missions-pull-out-hundreds-of-troops-from-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: AFRICOM looks to cut special ops missions, pull out hundreds of troops from Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Pentagon is mulling plans to wind down special operations missions <\/a>on the African continent and reassign troops to other, more in-demand regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plans, submitted by a top U.S. military commander, align with the Trump administration\u2019s strategy to focus on near-peer threats from countries like China and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo decision has been officially made regarding the U.S. counterrorism forces operating in Africa,\u201d a Pentagon press official told Military Times. \u201cIn light of the [2018 National Defense Strategy\u2019s] updated priorities, the [DoD] is reviewing plans, operations, and military investments across the globe to develop the best options that address the evolving threat to U.S. national interests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe optimization effort does not mean that we are going to walk away from counterterrorism in Africa, but that these efforts must be \u2018right-sized\u2019 to align with current security priorities,\u201d the official added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Department would reportedly focus the troop cuts and decreased missions on Central and West Africa, where U.S. special operations missions have focused on training up African host-nation forces to combat growing insurgencies from Islamist militants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean the U.S. military presence in Africa is disappearing entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not walking away,\u201d said Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the leader of U.S. Africa Command who submitted the plans, in an interview this week with the New York Times<\/a>, which first reported the story. Waldhauser added that the United States would still \u201creserve the right to unilaterally return\u201d to protect American interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are currently 6,000 U.S. troops strung throughout Africa<\/a>, spread over 53 countries, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roughly 1,200 special operations troops on missions in Africa would be facing the most immediate drawdown, according to the Times’ interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\t