Afghanistan, May 30, 2014. Maj. Gen. Stephen Townsend, then commander of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, at Bagram Airfield in Parwan province.
The U.S. military commander for Africa warned that the Chinese Communist threat could come not only from Pacific waters but also from the Atlantic side.
Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S. Africa Command, said in an interview with the Associated Press that Beijing is seeking to build a large submarine or aircraft carrier capable of accommodating the Chinese on the west coast of Africa, according to the Apnews website. Beijing is seeking to build a large naval port off the west coast of Africa that could accommodate a submarine or aircraft carrier. Townsend said the Chinese Communist Party has approached countries from Mauritania to southern Namibia with the intention of establishing a naval facility. If that goal is achieved, the CCP would have the ability to deploy its expanding naval warships, both in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
They are looking for a place where they can resupply and repair their warships,” said General Townsend. That’s militarily useful in the event of a conflict.” “They have a long way to go to establish such a base in Djibouti. And now they’re looking to the Atlantic coast to establish one of those bases there.”
Townsend’s warning comes as the Pentagon is shifting its focus from the past 20 years of the war on terror to the Indo-Pacific region and the threat from major power rivals such as the Chinese Communist Party and Russia. The Biden administration believes that the Chinese Communist Party’s rapidly expanding economic clout and military might could be the main long-term security challenge facing the United States.
U.S. military commanders stationed around the globe warn that the growing self-confidence of the Chinese Communist Party does not exist only in Asia. These commanders include some who, among other things, could lose troops and resources in their hands by promoting a tilt of U.S. forces toward the Pacific. They argue that Beijing is exerting more aggressive economic influence on countries in Africa, South America and the Middle East and is seeking to establish bases and footholds there.
“The Chinese Communist Party is outsmarting the United States in terms of strategy in some African countries,” Townsend said. “Port projects, economic activity, infrastructure and their agreements and contracts will bring greater access in the future. They are hedging their bets and making big bets in Africa.”
Years ago, the Chinese Communist Party established its first overseas naval base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, and its capabilities are steadily increasing. Townsend said the base has as many as 2,000 military personnel, including hundreds of Marines in charge of security.
There’s no question they have weapons and ammunition, they have armored fighting vehicles,” Townsend said. We think they’re going to be deploying helicopters there soon, possibly including attack helicopters.”
For some time, many have believed that the Chinese Communist Party is working to establish a naval base in Tanzania. Tanzania is a country on the east coast of Africa that has had a long and strong military relationship with Beijing. But Townsend said no decision appears to have been made on that yet.
He said that while the Chinese Communist Party has been working to establish a base in Tanzania, it is not the location that worries him the most.
“It’s on the Indian Ocean side,” he said. “I would prefer it to be located in Tanzania rather than on the Atlantic coast. The Atlantic coast worries me a lot.” He noted that the distance from the west coast of Africa to the United States is relatively short. In terms of nautical miles, a base on Africa’s North Atlantic coast could be much closer to the United States than a military facility in China would be to the U.S. West Coast.
More specifically, other U.S. officials have revealed that the Chinese Communist Party has been considering, among other things, locations for a port in the Gulf of Guinea.
The U.S. Department of Defense’s 2020 report on Chinese Communist Party military power states that the CCP may have considered increasing military facilities to support its naval, air, and ground forces in Angola, as well as military forces elsewhere. The report notes that large imports of oil and liquefied natural gas from Africa and the Middle East make these regions a priority area of concern for the CCP over the next 15 years.
Henry Tugendhat, a senior policy analyst at the United States Institute of Peace, said the Communist Party has many economic interests on Africa’s west coast, including fishing and oil. The Communist Party has also funded and helped build a large commercial port in Cameroon.
He said any effort by the Chinese Communist government to build a naval port on the Atlantic coast would be an expansion of the Communist Party’s military presence. But the desire for access to the ocean, he said, may also be primarily for economic gain rather than military capability.
Townsend and other regional military commanders, at a recent congressional hearing, voiced their concerns about the CCP. He and Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, and Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, are fighting to retain their military forces, aircraft and reconnaissance equipment. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is continuing to evaluate the U.S. military’s shift to a great power competition strategy.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is conducting a global posture review to determine whether U.S. military forces are where they need to be and in the right numbers around the globe to best maintain global dominance. The review assessment is expected to be completed by late summer.
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