As US forces continue to draw down in Afghanistan, the Air Force’s presence in Africa could be increasing, reported Stars and Stripes. “Our presence here [at Camp Lemmonier] Djibouti is enduring and I think it is growing,” Col. Kelly Passmore, 449th Air Expeditionary Group commander at Camp Lemonnier, told the paper. “As DOD has capacity that is freed up from our transition out of Afghanistan, it gives us forces that are able to now focus on this region.” Much of the mission of US military presence in Djibouti and throughout East Africa centers around readiness: positioning to fight “violent extremist organizations,” and conducting crisis response and personnel recovery missions throughout the region. The region also is key for intelligence gathering. “Obviously there is [intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance] capacity here,” Passmore said in the article. “The location … is key for multiple combatant commands. From here you can reach Central Command’s and Africa Command’s areas of concern.”
DNI: Cyber Is The Common Weapon Among Top Adversaries
April 17, 2021
The top four U.S. adversaries--China, Russia, Iran and North Korea--are improving their military capabilities but relying increasingly on cyber means to challenge the U.S. and blunt its influence around the world, the intelligence community's annual threat assessment says. The report comes amid military tensions with both China and Russia.