"I think the [Maldives] marine corps is probably where we can help focus a lot of our efforts," said a 5th SFAB team leader. "They're the ones that will help respond to any crises that pop up in the country."
The merger comes on the heels of some combat incidents at outposts on the Horn of Africa, including a May 9 attack on U.S. soldiers assigned to a coordination cell in Mogadishu, Somalia.
“There is a concerted effort to build mil-to-mil relationships between many of the partners we work with and the PLA [People’s Liberation Army of China],” said the 5th SFAB commander.
After COVID-19 tests and quarantine on a tropical island, teams of two are building relationships in Oceania that will help to shape Defender Pacific when it grows in scale and scope in 2021.
“Afghanistan was a very narrowly scoped mission, by intent. But now, as we look outside Afghanistan ... you’re really going to see a huge return on investment," said the incoming leader of Security Force Assistance Command.
Many Afghan troops are not vetted at all, according to the investigative report, and those who are but fail the screening process are often not removed from formations quickly.
Two of the Afghan police officers involved in the 2018 green-on-blue attack were shooters; two were getaway drivers, according to an investigation obtained by Army Times.