With the little information that's leaking out about US forces operating in Africa one thing has struck me.
There MUST be another base in Africa from which US forces are flowing from.
Think about it like this. Camp Lemonnier has all the makings of being a logistics hub. Last Google Earth photo that I saw showed:
5 CH-53E.
4 C-130. (I believe that two of those visible must be MC-130J's because of the darker shade of gray applied to them)
6 F-15E.
And that's just on the "military" side of the base. That my friends is a logistics hub with a force of F-15E's to provide rapid aerial response for units out in the boonies that need air support.
My guess when it comes to where this "secret" base is located would be Kenya. The government is rather stable, its English speaking, has port facilities and has been cooperating with the British and US governments in the fight against terrorist on the continent.
You can also bet that with Special Forces operating there (and they have a huge contingent in country), that MH-60's or even CV-22's should be visible, but they aren't.
Kenya has to be it. Time to take a look at Google Earth again.
UPDATE*
I gotcha covered Sol. Camp Simba, no bullshit, a naval port in Kenya. And some extra tidbits on the topic: http://www.esquire.com/Hmmm. Its starting to make sense. I think I'm seeing a pattern in US operations and AFRICOM is beyond being just a salvation army with guns. They're taking the fight to the terrorist and using conventional forces as the shield behind the real activity that's going on.features/africacommand0707 - It's from 2007, if you can stomach it, but there's six pages of intel to sift through.
Ghana also came up in 2008. Big, bold letters: "There is already a US military presence in Ghana." That's here: http://crossedcrocodiles.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/ africom-us-military-bases-and- ghana/
From 2011, Q3's answer listed a new AF base in Ethopia: http://csis.org/publication/kenyas-military-operation- somalia
Manda Bay, Kenya also came up here: http://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/us- military-bases-a-global- footprint-1/
Africa is the last unstomped land for the U.S. Military. It's time to expand, and we're getting right on that with the draw-down of Afghanistan. I just don't think anyone saw what Iran pulled out of it's ass, nor have they considered what could come of that. Nuclear war is in the cards, and has to be taken more seriously.
Conventionals get the shit jobs of guarding facilities, handing out food to local populations and generally waving the flag for all to see.
SOCOM gets to have the fun of conducting raids and have a 2 month stint in country count as an actual deployment.
Even if we draw down our forces in Afghanistan to one Brigade this year it will actually mean nothing.
The new Battle Ground is AFRICA. Welcome to the future.
I gotcha covered Sol. Camp Simba, no bullshit, a naval port in Kenya. And some extra tidbits on the topic: http://www.esquire.com/features/africacommand0707 - It's from 2007, if you can stomach it, but there's six pages of intel to sift through.
ReplyDeleteGhana also came up in 2008. Big, bold letters: "There is already a US military presence in Ghana." That's here: http://crossedcrocodiles.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/africom-us-military-bases-and-ghana/
From 2011, Q3's answer listed a new AF base in Ethopia: http://csis.org/publication/kenyas-military-operation-somalia
Manda Bay, Kenya also came up here: http://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/us-military-bases-a-global-footprint-1/
Africa is the last unstomped land for the U.S. Military. It's time to expand, and we're getting right on that with the draw-down of Afghanistan. I just don't think anyone saw what Iran pulled out of it's ass, nor have they considered what could come of that. Nuclear war is in the cards, and has to be taken more seriously.
Checked a little into the Ghana tip and found this: http://maps.google.com/?ll=11.543691,43.15258&spn=0.023631,0.027723&t=h&z=15
ReplyDeleteThere's military activity on the port, but I can't name craft. There's one "heavy" (compared to the F-5 looking birds) fighter of unknown origin in the rowing. There's also, what looks like, an H-53-type too, but it's unknown. Those are in the top right-side of the tarmac.
The other piece is that Camp Simba is apart of Manda Bay. SeaBess put it in. Marines were said to be around. There's, reportedly, about 50/60-men OB (on base).
Also, reading that Crossed Crocs posting, this part; "“A cooperative security location can be a tucked-away corner of a host country’s civilian airport, or a dirt runway somewhere with fuel and mechanical help nearby, or a military airport in a friendly country with which we have no formal basing agreement but, rather, an informal arrangement with private contractors acting as go-betweens … The United States provides aid to upgrade maintenance facilities, thereby helping the host country to better project its own air and naval power in the region. At the same time, we hold periodic exercises with the host country’s military, in which the base is a focus. We also offer humanitarian help to the surrounding area. Such civil-affairs projects garner positive publicity for our military in the local media… The result is a positive diplomatic context for getting the host country’s approval for use of the base when and if we need it.”"
There's a couple of strips like that on the northern part of the island near the A and B markers. No other sign of a port, bay, base or any mil-equip though.
Cheers