21 October 2013
US expands African partnerships in fight against terrorism
The United States has embarked on a new strategy to train and advise indigenous forces to tackle emerging terrorist threats and other security risks. The New York Times reports that US troops will conduct more than 100 missions in Africa over the next year, ranging from small sniper teams to larger teams conducting airborne and humanitarian exercises.
The programme for Africa is the test case for the new programme of regionally aligned brigades that will eventually extend to all of the US commands worldwide, including in Europe and Latin America in 2015. General Ray Odierno, the army chief of staff, said in an interview that the goal was to field an army that could be ‘engaged regionally in all the combatant commands to help them shape their theaters, set their theaters, in order to sustain and execute our national security strategy.’
Source: The New York Times | U.S. Army Hones Antiterror Strategy for Africa, in Kansas