GOP lawmakers step up concerns of troop drawdown in Africa

The Republican leaders of the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees are urging the Pentagon to continue “robust” counterterrorism support in Africa amid reports of a significant troop drawdown in the region that would mark a significant pivot in U.S. security policy.

Rep. Michael McCaul, Texas Republican, and Sen. James Risch, Idaho Republican, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper to pressure him to maintain the American troop presence in Africa, warning that a withdrawal could harm U.S. national security amid a surge of jihadist military attacks on countries across the heart of the continent.

The letter is just the latest effort by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to urge the Defense Department to reconsider the drawdown.

“It is part of the President’s National Security Strategy to continue working with our partners in Africa to defeat terrorist organizations to protect the homeland,” the lawmakers argued as they pointed to a recent increase in troop presence from China and Russia in the region.

“The full force of the U.S. government must address their efforts to undermine democratic values and free market economies, the counterterrorism mission is vital to building partner capacity,” they continued.

The Pentagon has been mulling plans to cut troop levels in Africa since 2018 with plans to drop from roughly 6,000 to about 5,400.

While the U.S. and its allies have largely destroyed Islamic State’s physical “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq, private analysts and U.S. allies warn that Islamic State affiliates and other violent jihadist groups have been stepping up their activity in Kenya, Somalia and sub-Saharan nations such as Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Chad.

Mr. McCaul and Mr. Risch explained that while they “agree there is a need to regularly review our force posture overseas to ensure efficiency and effectiveness, we strongly urge that any overall drawdown plans at Africa Command maintain robust support for our counterterrorism and host nation capacity building.”