Why The U.S. Presence In Chad

What Is The U.S. Military Building in Chad? -- Nick Turse, Real Clear World/Tom Dispatch

Admit it. You don't know where Chad is. You know it's in Africa, of course. But beyond that? Maybe with a map of the continent and by some process of elimination you could come close. But you'd probably pick Sudan or maybe the Central African Republic. Here's a tip. In the future, choose that vast, arid swath of land just below Libya.

Who does know where Chad is? That answer is simpler: the U.S. military. Recent contracting documents indicate that it's building something there. Not a huge facility, not a mini-American town, but a small camp.

That the U.S. military is expanding its efforts in Africa shouldn't be a shock anymore. For years now, the Pentagon has been increasing its missions there and promoting a mini-basing boom that has left it with a growing collection of outposts sprouting across the northern tier of the continent.

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My Comment: It may be a landlocked country .... but every country that borders it is in a state of unrest and/or civil war. 

U.S. Deploys Troops To Chad In Search For Kidnapped Nigerian Girls

U.S. Deploys Troops in Search For Kidnapped Nigerian Girls -- Time

President Barack Obama is putting American troops on the ground to help find the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram

The United States has deployed 80 American troops to Chad to assist in the search for more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant group Boko Haram last month, President Barack Obama told Congress on Wednesday.

“These personnel will support the operation of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft for missions over northern Nigeria and the surrounding area,” Obama wrote in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy. “The force will remain in Chad until its support in resolving the kidnapping situation is no longer required.”

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More News On The U.S. Deploying 80 Troops To Chad In Search For Kidnapped Nigerian Girls

U.S. deploys 80 troops to Chad to help find kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls -- Washington Post
U.S. deploys about 80 military personnel to help find Nigerian girls -- Reuters
U.S. deploying troops to Chad to help locate kidnapped girls -- Stars and Stripes
80 U.S. troops to search for Nigerian girls in Chad -- CNN
US sends 80 troops to Chad to aid in search for abducted girls -- FOX News
US Deploys 80 Military Personnel to Help Find Nigerian Girls -- Voice of America
80 U.S. troops now in Chad for schoolgirl search -- USA Today
Obama sends 80 military personnel to help find Nigerian schoolgirls -- Washington Times
U.S. Deploys Armed Forces Personnel to Locate, Help Return Missing Nigerian Schoolgirls -- WSJ
US Involvement in Nigeria Is Critical, House Hearing Told -- Voice of America

My Comment: Chad is a massive country .... 80 soldiers with a few drones in the air will make little if any difference in finding these girls .... girls that have either been sold into marriage or worse. I hate to say it .... but this has more the look of a PR event that makes people back in Washington feel good about themselves but .... realistically .... will have little if any impact on the ground in Nigeria/Chad.