By Catherine Putz
Though overshadowed regionally by Afghanistan and ISIS, the U.S. military continues to build ties with Central Asia.
Buried in remarks prepared for two Congressional committees on overall force posture, General Lloyd Austin, Commander of U.S. CENTCOM, did manage to comment on the status of relations between the U.S. military and Central Asian partners. Though considerably overshadowed by ISIS at the moment, and perpetually linked directly to Afghanistan, the U.S. military continues to maintain and build ties with Central Asia.
The first hearing, on March 3 with the House Armed Services Committee, was ostensibly geared toward receiving testimony on President Obama’s proposed authorization for the use of military force against ISIS and U.S. policy, strategy, and posture in the Greater Middle East (CENTOM’s area of operations spans from Egypt to Pakistan, Yemen to Kazakhstan, covering 27 countries). The commander’s comments on Central Asia managed to shine a dim light on U.S. military engagement with one of the least democratic regions in the world.
Austin noted that with the downsizing of U.S. and international military forces in neighboring Afghanistan, Central Asian states are looking to hedge on security issues in order “to position themselves to protect their own interests in the event that the Afghan government cannot maintain internal stability.” He categorized Russian influence on the region, through various “economic, military, and informational means,” as undermining the sovereignty of the region’s states and drew a brief parallel to Ukraine, saying Russian actions there had put pressure on Central Asia’s former Soviet republics.
Read the full story at The Diplomat