Most people will say ‘so what’?
That America should be out of the Midddle East….
President Biden is happy less US Troop’s are in harms way…
(He is NOT a fan of projecting American military power)
But the General’s worry that without the ability to ‘look see’ and activily engage some terrorist groups in their home countries?
As the groups begin to grow without worry at home…….
America will be a step behind anything they might plan or execute ….
For years, the United States has been trying to weaken the terrorist organization al-Shabab, which Townsend has called “the most lethal arm of al-Qaeda.” Those efforts were complicated in the last year, following the full exit of U.S. troops from Somalia, a departure ordered by President Donald Trump near the end of his tenure in the White House….
…
For now, it appears that the United States is largely in a mode of watching and waiting. The U.S. military relies heavily on Washington’s relationship with Pakistan to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions regarding Afghanistan. But there is no formal basing arrangement — nor is the Biden administration likely at any point to bless the reintroduction of U.S. troops into or over Afghanistan.
What may transpire regarding U.S. forces and Somalia, however, is an open question.
On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s ranking Republican, Sen. James M. Inhofe (Okla.), asked Townsend point-blank if he had recommended to his chain of command that the Defense Department reintroduce U.S. forces to Somalia on a full-time basis.
Townsend acknowledged that he had indeed submitted a recommendation regarding Somalia to his superiors — but categorically refused to characterize what it contained, noting they were “still considering that advice, and I’d like to give them space to make that decision.”…