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.
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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.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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