U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe is in Europe checking on military readiness in various regions. Inhofe is a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Members of the House and Senate have formed a delegation visiting the overseas military posts.
One of the stops along the way is Poland. Inhofe and the delegation met with Major General Timothy McGuire and other U.S. military personnel. They were discussing the European Defense Initiative which counters Russian aggression in the region. Poland’s Deputy Minister of Defense also met with the group.
Inhofe is interested in discovering the feasibility of permanent stationing of U.S. military forces in Poland. He recently authored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that requires the U.S. Secretary of Defense to study and report on that issue.
“As Russia’s aggression grows, they are not only a concern to the United States, but also to our allies, including Poland,” Inhofe said. “By visiting with our troops and partners in the region, it confirmed the importance of strengthening our diplomatic and military presence in Eastern Europe to counter Russia’s increasing reach and influence. I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to advance our ties even further.”
The delegation made its way to Vicenza, Italy to visit the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and senior leaders of U.S. Africa Command, commonly referred to as AFRICOM.
Sen. Inhofe and the delegation met with Brigadier General Eugene LeBoeuf, U.S. Army Africa and Major General Roger Cloutier, Chief of Staff of U.S. Africa Command. They also visited with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and the U.S. Army Garrison discussing Military Construction needs.
The focus was on the rise of Islamic extremism on the African continent.
“Across Africa, we are seeing the rise in Islamic extremism that threatens our allies, our strategic partners and American values. But that is just the beginning, as both China and Russia are making strategic inroads across the continent that threaten American allies as well. I appreciated hearing from Gen. LeBoeuf and Gen. Cloutier about ensuring AFRICOM is adapting to the changing threat environment and ensuring they have the resources they need. The 173rd provides a unique capability to project rapid combat power in support of EUCOM, AFRICOM, and CENTCOM.
“As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Readiness, I also valued the opportunity talk with forward stationed service members about their service and hear directly from them about their readiness needs. While we have started to make real progress in addressing the readiness crisis, more work remains to ensure our service members have the training and equipment they need to complete the mission,” said Inhofe.
