US basing plans in Ghana gain clarity

Washington, DC -- US military plans to extend its co-operation with Ghana and other African states and secure future use of forward-operating locations such as refuelling facilities and training ranges on the continent have begun to crystallise, according to US European Command (EUCOM) and an external panel.

The plans were outlined by the Overseas Basing Commission report and were largely confirmed by a EUCOM spokesman.

The existing co-operative security locations CSLs - at Entebbe, Uganda; Libreville, Gabon; Accra, Ghana; Dakar, Senegal; and Lusaka, Zambia - are intended to be basic facilities without a permanent presence and take advantage of existing host nation facilities, making as few modifications and upgrades as possible. In other locations, a larger presence appears to be possible, at least for limited periods during the year. For example, the Cap Draa training range area near Tan Tan, Morocco, has been used by US forces in the past and was recently upgraded.