Pentagon wants to build anti-terrorism bases around the world

As ISIS and its eight or so affiliates attempt to expand into a more global network, the Pentagon has proposed a series of military bases across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Middle East with the intent of collecting intelligence and carrying out strikes against terrorist groups, The New York Times reports.

"Because we cannot predict the future, these regional nodes — from Morón, Spain, to Jalalabad, Afghanistan — will provide forward presence to respond to a range of crises, terrorist and other kinds. These will enable unilateral crisis response, counterterror operations, or strikes on high-value targets," Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in a preliminary discussion in September.

The Pentagon's plan would both expand current bases, such as those in Djibouti, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and create new "spokes" in places like Niger and Cameroon. The Pentagon predicts the cost would only be in the "low millions of dollars," and that the bases would hold between 500 and 5,000 American troops, depending on the specific regional threat.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Some in the State Department are reportedly hesitant about the plan, believing that further entrenching the U.S. military in Africa and the Middle East signals the ever-increasing militarization of American foreign policy.