Thread by @jseldin

HAPPENING NOW: @USAfricaCommand Commander Gen. Stephen Townsend & @CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie back on #CapitolHill, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee

Joined by @DeptofDefense UnderSec for Policy Sasha Baker

#China has made a decision, a deliberate decision to compete w/America in #Africa & win that competition" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

"They compete primarily thru economic means & diplomatic means..."

"The primary thing that concerns me w/#China's military competition in #Africa is that they are seeking, actively seeking a military base on the #Atlantic Coast of Africa" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

"That would be bad for America's security..."

"...As a 1st priority, we need to prevent, deter a #Chinese [military] base on the #Atlantic coast of #Africa" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

#Afghanistan-"We are very concerned abt the potential for #ISIS-K's growth...We assess they do retain a desire to attack us in our homeland here in the #UnitedStates" per @CENTCOM's Gen McKenzie

"Absent effective pressure, that threat will only grow & metastasize over time"

#WestAfrica-"The French aren't leaving. They are repositioning...They are leaving #Mali" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

#Mali-#Russia's Wagner Group-"They've invited Wagner in bcs they blv Wagner will replace the french & do a better job" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

"When I learned of this I traveled to #Mali & I met w/the president there, the junta president there, & I explained I thought it was a bad idea" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

"I have them them [#Wagner] in #Syria & I have seen them in other places in #Africa. & Wagner obeys no rules. they won't follow the direction of the gvt" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

"They will only bring bad" in #Mali

MORE: @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend says in their discussion, #Mali's junta leader insisted he was dealing not w/#Wagner but w/#Russia's ministry of defense

"There may be some initial gains. We're seeing #Wagner deploy & build their base camps" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

"The have't really started significant operations yet" he says " I think they've already suffered from casualties"

#China "doing a little but of counterterrorism training" in #Africa but no counter terror ops, per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

#Iran nuclear program-"I think the Iranians are close" per @CENTCOM Gen McKenzie, adding "I don't think they've made a decision to go forward"

"My assessment is they want the sanctions relief that's already been discussed...I think the best solution would be to get an agreement"

#Iran-"What really concerns me much more on a day-to-day basis are their ballistic missiles, their cruise missiles & their land-attack missiles" per @CENTCOM Gen McKenzie "...which they have invested in heavily at great cost to their ppltn the past several years"

#Iran's missile capabilities "directly threaten their neighbors today" per @CENTCOM Gen McKenzie, pointing to #Tehran firing "very accurate missiles" into #Irbil #Iraq over the weekend

#Russia recruiting foreign fighters for #Ukraine - "We have not seen a flow of fighters" from the #MiddleEast, per @CENTCOM Gen McKenzie "We just haven't seen much of that yet out of #Syria...& we look at that pretty closely"

"That could change" he notes

#China's #Huawei "is endemic across the continent" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend "They're building smart cities, safe cities which are going to connect everything in those cities & will report back to #Beijing"

"That's a fairly significant threat..."

More: @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend adds #China is offering countries tech they wouldn't get otherwise and are going into agreements w/#Beijing "mostly w/eyes open"

#Afghanistan-"Certainly I regret that we no longer have the ability to be as effective we would like to be on the ground in Afghanistan in the CT [counterterror] mission" per @CENTCOM's McKenzie "We're doing that over-the-horizon...its much harder to do that over-the-horizon"

#Russia influence ops in #Africa-"Russia has extensive media engagement on the continent & that is greatly facilitated by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the oligarch, & his media arm" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend

Townsend notes Prigozhin also runs #Wagner

Response from @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend on #Russia media reach came in response to question from @RepSpeier about #Russia's RT

#Russia trying to recruit African mercenaries for #Ukraine?

"We haven't seen that yet" per @USAfricaCommand's Gen Townsend "We're watching for that very closely"

"I do blv that they're bringing #Wagner fighters from Africa to #Ukraine"

HASC Chair @RepAdamSmith: "Would you say that #Iran|ian malign activities since we left the JCPOA has increased?"

@CENTCOM's Gen McKenzie: "I would"