America’s War-Fighting Footprint in Africa

by Nick Turse General Thomas Waldhauser sounded a little uneasy.  “I would just say, they are on the ground.  They are trying to influence the action,” commented the chief of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) at a Pentagon press briefing in… Continue Reading  

Commandos Without Borders

by Nick Turse Al-Qaeda doesn’t care about borders. Neither does the Islamic State or Boko Haram. Brigadier General Donald Bolduc thinks the same way. “[T]errorists, criminals, and non-state actors aren’t bound by arbitrary borders,” the commander of Special Operations Command… Continue Reading  

What the U.S. Military Doesn’t Know (and Neither Do You)

by Nick Turse Sometimes the real news is in the details — or even in the discrepancies. Take, for instance, missions by America’s most elite troops in Africa. 

Evaluating the US Military Pivot to Africa

by Nick Turse It’s rare to hear one top military commander publicly badmouth another, call attention to his faults, or simply point out his shortcomings. Despite a seemingly endless supply of debacles from strategic setbacks to quagmire conflicts since 9/11,… Continue Reading  

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics…and AFRICOM

by Nick Turse General David Rodriguez might be a modern military celebrity — if he hadn’t spent his career ducking the spotlight. After graduating from West Point in 1976, he began his long march up the chain of command, serving… Continue Reading