Around 200,000 US troops are stationed in 177 countries throughout the world. Those forces utilize several hundred military installations. Africa is no exemption. On August 2, Maj. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier took command of US Army Africa, promising to "hit the ground running."
The US is not waging any wars in Africa but it has a significant presence on the continent. Navy SEALs, Green Berets, and other special ops are currently conducting nearly 100 missions across 20 African countries at any given time, waging secret, limited-scaleoperations. According to the magazine Vice, US troops are now conducting 3,500 exercises and military engagements throughout Africa per year, an average of 10 per day - an astounding 1,900% increase since the command rolled out 10 years ago. Many activities described as "advise and assist" are actually indistinguishable from combat by any basic definition.
Manuel Noriega -- As dictator from 1983 to 1989, the former general and Central Intelligence Agency source was accused of rigging elections, having ties to drug traffickers and ordering the killings of opponents. His "Dignity Battalions" broke up protests with baseball bats. After 22 years in U.S. and French jails, Noriega was returned to Panama in December 2011 to face murder and embezzlement charges connected to his six-year rule.
He also asked for forgiveness "from any person who feels offended, affected, harmed or humiliated by my actions or by those of my superiors as they carried out orders, or by those of my subordinates, during the responsibility of my civil and military government."
The day after Noriega's remarks, Varela said "it's time to forgive. The Panamanian people have moved on from that period of dictatorship."
In 1980, Beck completed the Special Forces qualification course and headed to 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
After working on the Special Forces scuba team and training local forces in Mogadishu, Somalia, he said, he retired in 1985, just a few months after graduating from the Sergeants Major Academy.
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