Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz wrote to House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Mike Rogers Thursday, requesting that he convene an investigative hearing with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss how a misguided interagency foreign policy decision has impacted the safety of American service members in Africa.
Rep. Gaetz’s letter outlines the interagency overlap between the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of State (DoS), providing a nexus for HASC to oversee DoS’ Africa policy.
In 2018, DoD and DoS developed the Stabilization Assistance Review (SAR) program to solidify a framework for how DoS, DoD, and USAID would work together to advance stabilization efforts abroad.
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Furthermore, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022 enables the DoD and DoS, through the SAR, to develop security assistance and initiatives to improve security sector governance and build long-term relationships with key host-nation security officials consistent with U.S. national security and economic interests.
“I write to formally request that you call Secretary of State Antony Blinken before the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) for an investigative hearing on how failed foreign policy decisions made by the Department of State (DoS) have endangered U.S. service members throughout the African continent,” said Gaetz in his letter. “As you know, DoS sets key standards and guidelines for the Department of Defense (DoD); such as standardizing diplomatic relations with partner nations; agreeing to security cooperation pacts, like status of forces agreements; and facilitating financial and military aid through numerous programs, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).”
“In 2018, the DoD and DoS developed the Stabilization Assistance Review (SAR) program. The SAR framework solidified how DoS, USAID, and DoD would work together to advance stabilization efforts. DoS, USAID, and DoD have developed new tools to operationalize SAR principles, including to craft political strategies, partner with other international donors, target and sequence stabilization assistance resources, and monitor and evaluate strategic outcomes. United States embassy teams in certain countries have, with assistance from relevant Combatant Commands, developed integrated stabilization plans and modalities to apply SAR principles.
“The SAR served as the mechanism to operationalize the Global Fragility Strategy (GFS) that served as a joint project between DoD, DoS, Department of the Treasury, and USAID. This strategy was submitted to Congress in line with Section 504(a) of the Global Fragility Act of 2019, which requires development of a 10-year Global Fragility Strategy and creates a joint nexus for HASC oversight of actions conducted by each agency. In fact, the interagency group has policy leaders assigned to coordinate their efforts. In addition to Secretary Blinken, I request the following individuals as witnesses to testify about their policies and strategies that have jeopardized the safety and security of our service members in Africa:
1) Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee;
2) Assistant to the USAID Administrator for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization Robert Jenkins; and
3) DoD Principal Director of Counternarcotics and Stabilization Policy Joseph McMenamin.
“The intended purpose of this investigative hearing is to ensure the GFS isn’t negatively impacted by DoS’ recent failures in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso that have led to a loss of security access for U.S. forces. The GFS created the United States Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, the stated goal of which is to enhance the ability of U.S. military to support this strategy through small-footprint, coordinated, partner-focused activities in line with DoD Policy Directive 3000.05 “Stabilization” and U.S. national security objectives,” Gaetz continued.
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“Section 1210A of the fiscal year 2020 NDAA (“Department of Defense Support for Stabilization Activities in National Security Interest of the United States”), enables the DoD and DoS, through the SAR, to develop security assistance and related programs and initiatives to improve governance of the security sector, build partners’ institutional capacity, professionalize partner nation security forces, and build long-term relationships with key host nation security officials consistent with U.S. national security and economic interests,” said Gaetz.
According to Gaetz’s office, under Secretary Blinken, the SAR structure has been jeopardized, as the interagency foreign policy decisions relating to Africa have put service members on the continent in danger.
This is highlighted by the fact that following a report from the Office of Rep. Gaetz that exposed the imminent risk U.S. troops face in Niger as a result of the Biden administration’s coverup of intelligence in the region; the administration announced the withdrawal of 1,100 troops from the country.
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