Focus on Russia and China, the United States reduce their troops in Africa

WASHINGTON DC, KOMPAS.com – The US military has announced that it will withdraw some of its serving troops in Africa.

reported BBC On Friday (16/11/2018), troop reduction was among the priorities of the army to move China and Russia away.

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An anonymous US defense official said: CNNtroops participating in counter-terrorism missions will be phased out over the next three years.

About 700 of the 7,200 members of the African Command (Africom) will be withdrawn. The official predicts that the troops will be withdrawn from Kenya, Cameroon and Mali.

The withdrawal of troops would have an impact on the changes in the US military functions of those who initially provided technical badistance, which would be limited to the direction and distribution of intelligence data.

Candice Tresch, Pentagon spokeswoman, said the national defense strategy released early in 2018 included the priority of competition with China and Russia.

"We will reorganize resources operating in Africa in the coming years to maintain balance in the world," Tresch said.

For VOA, an anonymous military official said the withdrawal had nothing to do with the Niger attack in October 2017 that killed four US soldiers.

"Preparing your troops for the fight against terrorism is not the same as preparing to host the challenges of Russia and China," said the official.

On Wednesday (14/11/2018), the National Defense Strategy Committee released a report that the US military can be defeated if it is in conflict with China and Russia.

In the report, the dominant US military forces of recent generations have begun to erode and a solution must be sought.

"The superiority of the US military has eroded to a very dangerous level – challenges must be met if you do not want national security to be at stake," the report said.

The warning to the administration of President Donald Trump appeared after the defense budget was threatened with cuts in spending in 2018 and 2019.

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