After Niger coup, Air Force looks for other countries to host drone base – By Audrey Decker (Defense One) / Sept 14, 2023
Still, ISR operations have resumed from Nigerien sites, the region’s U.S. Air Force commander said.
The U.S. is considering alternative countries to host its drone base for counter-terrorism missions in Niger after a coup in the West African country overthrew a democratically elected president.
“There are several locations I’ll say that we’re looking at, but nothing’s firmed up. We have talked to some countries about it,” said Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa.
However, the Air Force is waiting to see the results of U.S.-Niger diplomacy talks as the “diplomatic solution is going pretty well right now,” Hecker told reporters Wednesday at the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual Air, Space & Cyber conference.
“Our tactic was to kind of let the State Department do their thing and see what we can do diplomatically here because we don’t want this thing to turn into a shooting war,” Hecker said.
