U.S. Africa Command is launching airstrikes in Somalia at a record-setting pace as the military seeks to counter an influx of Islamic State group fighters.

China’s efforts to buy influence in Africa through infrastructure and investment may not yield the returns Beijing hopes for, said Vice Adm. Jeffrey Anderson, commander of U.S. 6th Fleet and Striking and Support Forces NATO. The U.S. is viewed as the “preferred partner,” he said. 

US Africa Command is launching airstrikes in Somalia at a record-setting pace as the military seeks to counter an influx of Islamic State group fighters.

A new medical facility is among the recent improvements at a remote U.S. military airfield in Somalia that also is being fortified following heavy attacks in recent years.

West African countries are adapting their interdiction strategies as drug traffickers and other criminals turn to sophisticated technology to evade detection, U.S. officials said this week.

The presence of the 6th Fleet flagship and the service’s second-highest-ranking officer in Europe and Africa is a notable message to competitors that the U.S. remains interested and involved in North Africa, an analyst said.

The transfer of two American patrol boats to Tunisia and a Navy command ship’s visit embody a centuries-old U.S. commitment to maritime partnership with the North African country, a top service official said this week.

Defense Department civilian employees and contractors abroad can no longer get rape test kits done at military medical facilities.

The United States once cheered the creation of South Sudan as an independent nation. Now the Trump administration has abruptly revoked the visas of all South Sudanese, saying the country’s government has failed to accept the return of its citizens “in a timely manner.”

The commanders of U.S. troops in Europe and Africa expressed trepidation Thursday about the Pentagon’s reported plans to consolidate commands and give up America’s role as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe.