The Pentagon has discreetly suspended military collaborations with nations involved in coups and human rights violations, according to U.S. officials cited by The Washington Post.
In October, the Pentagon revealed plans to Congress for joint exercises with several African militaries, including those legally barred from receiving U.S. security assistance. However, Defense Department officials later confirmed that at least six of these armies - Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, and Sudan - were no longer participating in the exercises, without providing an explanation, as reported by the Post.
A defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Post that the U.S. "never had an intention" to partner with countries legally prohibited from doing so. Another defense official added that the list was not definitive and other countries could still be excluded from the plans.
The Post, having viewed documents, revealed plans to cooperate with at least a dozen foreign militaries that have been condemned by the Biden administration and other nations for their involvement in coups or severe abuses, including extrajudicial killings. It remains uncertain whether the Pentagon also intends to halt scheduled trainings with the remaining countries implicated in coups and serious abuse.
Recently, Democrats have urged the Biden administration to suspend partnerships with these offending countries. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin of Maryland and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, demanding guarantees that no troops associated with coups be allowed to participate in U.S.-led security exercises, as reported by the Post.
The senators further requested that foreign security force units receiving assistance are subject to human rights vetting, as required by law, according to the Post, which obtained a copy of the letter.
The Defense Department chose to suspend the joint exercises "due to legal and/or policy restrictions," the first U.S. defense official told the Post, without providing specific details.
However, as of December 20, when the Pentagon last updated Congress on its plans, all six of the excluded countries remained on the list, another U.S. government official told the Post.
The Pentagon faced criticism in August for continuing security cooperation with Niger, one of the banned countries, after significant elements of the Nigerien military ousted the president and assumed leadership.
The Pentagon sought to distance itself from elements of the Nigerien junta who had previously trained or cooperated with the U.S. as recently as July, just before the attempted coup.
The White House and Defense Department defended their plans, highlighting the difference between military training programs and other security aid. Joint training ensures "seamless" coordination and better prepares U.S. troops to respond to a crisis, Lisa Lawrence, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told the Post.
"In some cases, it is more effective to remain engaged with certain partners so the partner remains aware of U.S. ethos, values, and concerns and uphold human rights standards," Lawrence said.
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