The Defense Department is putting American interests first in the U.S. Central and Africa Commands' areas of responsibility, said Katherine Thompson, performing the duties of the assistant defense secretary for international security affairs, during a hearing today before the House Armed Services Committee.
She elaborated that this means preventing and disrupting credible terrorist threats to the U.S., preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and supporting Israel's ability to defend itself.
"State and non-state actors across the Middle East, such as ISIS, Iran and its proxies, continue to threaten the U.S. homeland, as well as our forces and posture across the region," Thompson said.
She outlined several of the department's activities in the two regions, noting that DOD is working with African nations to enhance operational independence and empower them to counter shared threats.
In Yemen, she said U.S. operations against the Houthis resulted in restoring freedom of navigation. While in Iraq, local security forces now lead most operations against ISIS remnants, requiring only a modest U.S. advisory role.
Thompson said last month's $142 billion package in defense sales to Saudi Arabia will help increase burden sharing in the region.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile battery and a U.S. military crew to Israel, she said.
Regarding China, Thompson said it has ambitions to expand its military power projection capabilities through overseas basing, naval access and establishing dominance over critical mineral resources in Africa to fund its defense supply chains. She added that DOD will work to prevent and counter Chinese efforts to position its forces in Africa in ways that threaten the ability to defend the U.S.
"We will also work closely with interagency partners to counter Chinese efforts to exclude the United States from critical markets on the continent," she said.
DOD's largest force posture in Africa is Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, which Thompson said hosts approximately 3,300 military and civilian personnel who support Africom, Centcom, U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Transportation Command.
"This base, along with smaller, enduring locations, provides support to contingency operations, episodic military-to-military engagements and crisis response," she added.
Centcom Commander Army Gen. Michael E. Kurilla said Iran has continued to increase its stockpiles of uranium, enriched to 60%, of which there is no civilian purpose.
He said regional terrorists remain under pressure because of Centcom's relentless campaign aimed at the removal of hundreds of fighters and leaders on the battlefields in Iraq and Syria. He added that a network of partners has dealt significant blows to the ISIS-Khorasan networks exploiting the tribal areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"The United States now stands in a strategic window of opportunity to secure its national interests in the Centcom region, protect the homeland, secure economic prosperity, establish freedom of navigation and prevent a nuclear-armed Iran," Kurilla said.
Marine Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said he recently traveled to Morocco to attend the African Lion 2025 exercise, which involved 52 nations and 10,000 soldiers.
The general also visited Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the African Chiefs of Defense Conference, co-hosted by Kenya and the U.S. and attended by leaders from 37 African nations.
"This gathering showcased the Kenyan defense forces' commitment to fostering military dialog and demonstrated their leadership. The insights drawn from that forum will help inform Africom's approach to hearing how our African partners are solving challenges in their own neighborhoods and understanding where they can shoulder more of the load," Langley said.
He added that Africa remains a theater that the United States cannot afford to ignore as it is home to terrorists who aim to grow and export their ideology, where China seeks to establish regional hegemony and where Russia seizes opportunities created by chaos and instability.
Successful outcomes, enabled by burden sharing, are beneficial for all, Langley said, noting the U.S. seeks to enhance security through alliances, exercises, training events, security cooperation and its foreign military sales programs.