Jim Inhofe: We must increase the presence of troops in Africa, not decrease it

During my stay, I met several of our key partners: Ghana, Mauritania and the leaders of the Group of Five Sahel, and their message to me was the clearest I have heard during my close 200 visits to African countries.

So far, the help we have provided has been about capacity building, and that is how it should be. The capacities of our African partners are improving, but what impressed me most was their commitment. They own the fight, but they want our help to make sure they win.

Americans cannot afford to lose. Terrorists hate freedom everywhere, but they hate the United States the most. If they are allowed to operate in failed states or ungoverned territories, they will plan, train and launch terrorist attacks against our allies and, possibly, against us.

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper made the smart decision to send the 1st Assistance Brigade of the United States security forces to Africa, which I have been asking for since 2018. The capabilities of the SFABs are a perfect complement to what was already being done in East Africa 39; West with special operations and intelligence. But if the SFAB is intended to replace what was already done, it will be a disaster for our partners and a significant reduction in capacity building.

Let's look at our readjustments in terms of numbers compared to threats. We have more than 200,000 soldiers Divided between the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific, the threat in Africa continues to grow rapidly both in terms of strength and geographic reach. Compare that with the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which comes from 6000 service members train and advise our partners and conduct operations to combat dangerous terrorist organizations while facing increasing pressure from Russia and China. Think of it this way: AFRICOM only has 3% of the troops and resources to manage three of the National Defense Strategic Priorities, spread over an area geographically larger as China, India, the United States and most of Europe combined.

Our current presence is not only critical for our African partners; it also serves as a force multiplier and provides assurance to our European allies of their own counterterrorism partnerships in the region. During my stay in Munich, Europeans told me that they wanted to increase their role in West Africa but can only do so if we stay.

The need to get involved in Africa is not limited to the fight against the terrorist threat. If we don't maintain or, even frankly, expand our engagement there, we will cede influence and access across the continent to Russia and China. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping see what I see: the strategic importance of Africa. But as the United States plans to withdraw, Russia and China are increasing their investment.

Although AFRICOM constantly lacks resources, our small presence on site is significant and offers a significant return on investment. Our partners are grateful for our leadership, and our allies and partners around the world are following this path. Downgrading our investment now would only increase our risk and make future competition or potential conflicts more costly.

The good news? I'm not the only one to see this. At the annual meeting Hearing on the posture of the Senate Armed Services Committee for AFRICOM in January, many senators from both sides of the aisle spoke and asked questions that underscored the importance of our presence in Africa. It was a welcome and striking contrast to just 10 years ago, when only a few of us were pressuring to create AFRICOM or inquiring about our role in the region.

The Secretary of Defense is right to take a hard look at where our troops are deployed in the world and how we can better align our forces to implement the national defense strategy taking into account Russia and from China. Esper also understands that Africa plays a key role in our national security, especially when it comes to tackling the growing threat of terrorism on the continent. So I hope it is as clear to him as it is to me: a true sizing of the American forces in Africa should lead to an increase in personnel and support, not a decrease.