Pentagon quietly scraps plans to train with militaries from countries accused of coups and major rights violations

The Pentagon quietly suspended military partnerships with countries involved in coups and human rights abuses, The Washington Post reported, citing US officials.

Plans communicated to Congress in October i seen by the Post revealed the Pentagon's intention to conduct joint exercises with the militaries of several African nations, including those subject to legal bans from receiving US security assistance. Department of Defense (DOD) officials later said at least six of the militaries – Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger and Sudan – were no longer participating in the exercises without explanation, according to the outlet.

The United States “never intended” to partner with countries legally prohibited from doing so, a defense official told the Post on condition of anonymity. A second defense official said the list submitted was not sealed and other countries could still be excluded from the plans.

Documents seen by the Post revealed plans to cooperate with at least a dozen foreign militaries that the Biden administration and other nations have condemned for participating in coups or perpetrating grave abuses, including extrajudicial killings. It was unclear whether the Pentagon also plans to halt scheduled training with the remaining half-dozen countries involved in coups and serious abuses.

Democrats recently pressed the Biden administration to suspend partnerships with offending countries. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin of Maryland and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts sent a letter Wednesday to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding assurances that troops associated with the coups will not be allowed to state to participate in US-led security exercises, the Post reported.

“Furthermore, we request that units of foreign security forces receiving assistance … be subject to [human rights] reviewing, as required by law,” the senators wrote, according to the Post, which said it obtained a copy of the letter.

Members of Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Canada, France, the Netherlands and the United States wrap up the academic portion of Exercise Flintlock 2023 near Abidjan, Ivory Coast. #Associations #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/6RTu0gEdZ8

– Department of Defense (@DeptofDefense) March 14, 2023

The DOD chose to suspend the joint exercises “due to legal and/or policy constraints,” the top US defense official told the Post, without elaborating.

But as of Dec. 20, when the Pentagon last updated Congress on its plans, the six countries since excluded remained on the list, another US government official told the Post.

The DOD did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Pentagon was under fire in August to persist with security cooperation with Niger, one of the banned countries, after significant elements of the Nigerian military ousted the president and took over.

The Pentagon tried to distance himself from elements of the Nigerian junta who previously trained or cooperated with the US as recently as July, just before the coup attempt.

The White House and DOD defended their plans, emphasizing the distinction between military training programs and other security assistance. The joint training ensures “seamless” coordination and better prepares U.S. troops to respond to a crisis, Lisa Lawrence, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told the Post.

“In some cases, it is more effective to remain engaged with certain partners so that the partner remains aware of the ethos, values ​​and concerns of the US and upholds human rights standards,” Lawrence said.

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