Pentagon considers abandoning recently built $110M drone base in Niger
U.S. military leaders are weighing whether to abandon a drone base in Niger as part of a reshuffling of troops around the world.
The decision to stop using the base is part of discussions to reduce American forces from West Africa as the Pentagon refocuses on confronting China and Russia, according to the New York Times.
In recent years, the U.S. military increased its presence in Africa, building the huge drone base from where it launches drone aircraft to combat extremist organizations.
U.S. Africa Command announced in early November intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations were being conducted from the base, nearly a year after it was supposed to have been completed.
Niger Air Base 201 was supposed to be finished by the end of 2018, but bad weather and harsh conditions pushed back the opening. The base had a $110 million price tag and the cost of operating the facility was expected to cost about $30 million per year.
The United States had a 10-year lease agreement for use of the base, which was the largest installation Air Force personnel have ever built.
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