U.S. Generals Emphasize China in House Hearings on Africa and Middle East Defense

AFRICOM Commander General Stephen Townsend testifying before the House Armed Services Committee. Image via @HouseForeign.

China played a central role in testimony from senior generals on U.S. defense postures in Africa and the Middle East late last week. General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command in the Middle East and General Stephen Townsend who oversees U.S. troops in Africa addressed the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  

While the hearings ranged across many issues, strategic competition with China in both regions came up repeatedly. It is important to note that the committee will decide budgetary support for U.S. military activity on the continent. General Townsend repeatedly stressed how U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has achieved outsized influence beyond the size of its budget.

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by Eric Olander

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