The United States Department of Defense has written a proposal to Congress to amend the legislation allowing the special operations authorities to equip and train allied countries in combat against outside forces.
The duties of Special US forces are usually reserved for counterterrorism, border security activities and counternarcotics operations.
In the proposal, the Defense Department seeks to add resistance and foreign internal defense operations to its mandate.
In particular, the US department referenced Kenya as a prime example, with their security infrastructure in question to counter war-related activities.
“Kenya is a prime example as their conventional and [Special Operations Force] units are growing in capacity, but their security infrastructure and institutional pillars are vulnerable to corruption, subversion, lawlessness, terrorism and civil war,” notes the proposal by the Pentagon.
The US government had pledged a Ksh13 billion aid towards Kenya's deployment of police forces to Haiti to restore peace within the conflict-riddled country.
The official date set for the deployment is May 23, 2024, but the US Pentagon is yet to complete the construction of a base for the officers, raising questions over the project's viability.
Similarly, the US Pentagon raised concern over the Scandinavian and Baltic countries' security, indicating a possible risk of Russian influence.
The defense department noted that through the partnership, the special operations authorities can mitigate the threat from Russia.
Congress is set to consider the Pentagon's legislative proposals in the coming weeks ahead.
The first batch of police officers is set to carry 200 police officers, with the rest scheduled to land in Haiti in the following weeks.
Kenya's security will be joined by Benin officers who have also made a similar pledge to secure peace in the troubled region.
