Monrovia — The United States of America is troubled by the inroads that China and Russia are making in Africa and is even more concerned about the possibility of China establishing a military base in West Africa - a move they believe could thwart their global strategic efforts to keep their homeland security intact.
The Commander of the United States Africa Command, Gen. Michael Langley, appeared before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and disclosed that the Africa Command is exploring areas in West Africa for a Command Center, but could not disclose the possible countries during the public hearing. However, what is clear is that America is pushing beyond all odds to take a giant step ahead of China in solidifying its military presence in the Sub-Saharan region.
During the March 16 hearing, Ranking Member Roger Wicker directly asked Gen. Langley where he thinks China could be making its strongest efforts on where they could be establishing a military base in West Africa. He also questioned the Africa Command Chief on how the establishment of a military base by the Chinese could affect the security of Americans.
In response, Gen. Langley said, "It will change the whole calculus of the strategic global campaign plans of protecting the homeland. If they [the Chinese] build any capacity on the West Coast, geo-strategically, it will put them at an advantage. Right now, we can't let them have a base on the West Coast because we're changing the dynamics."
In his statement to the Committee, Gen. Langley stated that the need for US Africa Command in West Africa is acute. He expressed concerns over the Chinese attempt to establish a base in Djibouti, noting that any future basing project by the Chinese poses a marginal threat to the U.S. interest on the continent.
"In the event of armed conflict, however, the PRC may leverage its expanded military footprint to project power against the United States, our allies, or global commerce. They already leverage their economic power in Africa to influence UN policy and protect their access to natural resources like minerals and fisheries," Gen. Langley stated.
In addition to the Chinese influence on the continent, especially the West African region, the U.S. Africa Command, according to Gen. Langley, is concerned about associates of al-Qaeda's second-largest and fastest-growing branch in Africa--Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam walMuslimin (JNIM). The group has been meting terror on American citizens in the West African region, especially in Burkina Faso and Mali.
The Command Center
A little over a week after this hearing, President Weah, upon invitation, made a one-of-a-kind visit to the headquarters of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Virginia. The meeting aroused a lot of speculation back home, especially among members of the opposition bloc, that the Liberian President was being interrogated.
President Weah's visit was unusual for many reasons, including the fact that it flouted diplomatic norms when the President was not scheduled to meet any significant high-level Biden Administration official.
However, despite the gag order placed on the meeting, FrontPageAfrica has been gathering from sources privy to the meeting that the message was clear from the American Spy Agency: America needs stability in Liberia in order to partner with the country in its fight against Russian and Chinese influence, especially with the destabilizing efforts of Wagner - the Russian terrorist group operating in Burkina Faso and Mali.
While Gen. Langley could not disclose during the public hearing the details of the Africa Command's exploration in West Africa and that of the Chinese activities, what remains firm in the minds of diplomats is that the meeting at the headquarters of the American spy agency could be a reignition of Liberia's role during the Cold War when it served as the communication and spy center for the Americans in Africa.
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Liberia, founded by freed American slaves has strong and historic ties with the United States and has been in the orbit of America since its existence.
The country has probably the closest consanguinity with that of the United States more than any other country and hundreds of thousands of Liberians and their families live in America.
These Liberians in the United States send over 400 million US dollars annually in foreign remittance, which is a major boost to Liberia's struggling economy.
Therefore, Liberia appears to be geo-strategically positioned in providing the leverage for the Americans to militarize the region as such to also provide strategic benefits for a country with several porous borders, and under-monitored mining and logging activities.
