[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 10 (Thursday, January 16, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NATIONAL DEFENSE STRATEGY AND AFRICA

 Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, as chairman of the Armed Services 
Committee, my top priority is ensuring the effective implementation of 
the National Defense Strategy. I rise today to speak about the 
importance of Africa as a key front in our global efforts under the NDS 
to compete with China and Russia, defend U.S. national security, and 
combat radical terrorist groups like al-Qaida and ISIS. The NDS says 
competition with China and Russia is ``the central challenge to U.S. 
prosperity and security.'' This is where DOD is rightly focusing its 
attention. But China's and Russia's growing influence isn't restricted 
to Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Recent actions by China and Russia 
clearly demonstrate that both countries view Africa as a critical 
battlefield to fulfill their global ambitions and challenge U.S. 
interests.
  Over the past 20 years, I have conducted 164 African country visits. 
I can tell you it is no coincidence that China established its first 
overseas military base in Djibouti--strategically located on one of the 
most important maritime transit routes in the world. I visited Djibouti 
last February and saw first-hand China's military base and their 
encroachment on the Port of Djibouti. Elsewhere, China is using cash 
and debt to trap countries and force them to put their infrastructure 
and potentially their very sovereignty on sale. For example, 90 percent 
of African exports depend on ports and China is funding, building, or 
operating at least 46 port projects in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition 
to giving China a potential stranglehold on African prosperity, it also 
provides China access to critical maritime routes and chokepoints.
  At the same time, Russia is using its armed forces, mercenaries, and 
the sale of Russian arms to buy influence, exploit Africa's natural 
resources, and to prop up leaders sympathetic to Russian interests and 
hostile to those of the West. And while the NDS states that competition 
with China and Russia should be DOD's top priority, it makes clear that 
we cannot afford to lose sight of the continuing threat posed by 
radical terrorist groups like al-Qaida and ISIS.
  Africa has been and must remain a key theater for our 
counterterrorism efforts. Today, more than a dozen terrorist groups 
with ties to al-Qaida and ISIS, like Al-Shabab, are operating across 
the continent. Many of these groups have ambition to attack Americans 
and our partners, as we saw last week when Al-Shabab militants in Kenya 
killed a U.S. servicemember and two DOD contractors. Without pressure 
the threat these groups pose to the United States will grow unchecked. 
And this isn't a recent development--I have seen this come up time and 
time again on my visits to the continent. It is why I pushed the DOD 
for years to stand up an Africa command. People forget that we didn't 
always have a dedicated military presence in Africa, despite its 
strategic importance. It was managed through three separate combatant 
commands. I worked with DOD and then-President Bush to change that, and 
in 2008 we officially stood up United States Africa Command AFRICOM.
  Despite the breadth of security challenges we face on the African 
continent every day, AFRICOM has consistently suffered resource 
shortfalls. On any given day, there are about 7,000 DOD personnel 
serving in Africa. Africa is home to 1.3 billion people and is larger 
geographically than China, India, the United States, and most of 
Europe--combined. In light of these significant resource and 
geographical challenges, the men and women of AFRICOM perform critical 
missions every day to check Chinese and Russian influence, combat 
terrorism, and strengthen the capabilities of our partners. AFRICOM 
provides an enormous value to the Nation for an extremely modest level 
of investment--the very definition of ``economy of force.'' Despite 
this, I understand that DOD is reviewing our military presence in 
Africa and is considering significant cuts.
  Given what is at stake for both U.S. national security and effective 
implementation of NDS, we must have a meaningful, albeit limited, U.S. 
presence in Africa. Any drawdown of our troops would be shortsighted, 
could cripple AFRICOM's ability to execute its mission and, as a 
result, would harm national security. Rather than talking about drawing 
down troops in Africa, we should finally assign forces to AFRICOM on an 
enduring basis--including an SFAB--in order to provide the command with 
predictable resourcing so it can be most effective in defending U.S. 
national security.
  I urge the Secretary of Defense to keep this in mind as he makes 
decisions on the future of our presence and role in Africa.

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