Confronts Defense Secretary on troop withdrawal
Senator Lindsey Graham led a group of partisan lawmakers in confronting Defense Secretary Mark Esper over the Trump Administration’s plan to withdraw troops from part of Africa.
They were at the Munich Security Conference, and their exchange was said to be “fiery.” It included a warning from the senator to the secretary that there would be consequences if the policy were carried out.
Graham, along with Senator Chris Coons, both of whom are members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, insisted to Esper that Congress would not back an American troop withdrawal from the Sahel region, a huge area south of the Sahara Desert that includes several nations battling international terror groups. They argued that the number of American troops there is small, the cost of deployment is low, and withdrawing them would abandon a major ally in France, whose army is leading the fight against the terrorists there.
Secretary Esper explained that he is working to carry out the National Defense Strategy, which cites Russia and China as the biggest strategic competitors to the U.S., and thus attempting to shift American troop priorities accordingly.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For President Trump, Secretary Esper, and others who are part of the national defense strategy team, as they look to utilize American strength to best advantage.
- About ongoing terror activities in critical parts of the African Sahel.
Sources: NBC News, National Review
