US Defense Policy: The U.S. Defense Department is putting American interests first in the U.S. Central and Africa Commands' areas of responsibility,

The U.S. Defense Department is putting American interests first in the U.S. Central and Africa Commands' areas of responsibility, said Katherine Thompson, performing the duties of the assistant defense secretary for international security affairs, during a hearing June 10th before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee.

"State and non-state actors across the Middle East, such as ISIS, Iran and its proxies, continue to threaten the U.S. homeland, as well as our forces and posture across the region," Thompson said.

In Yemen, she said, U.S. operations against the Houthis resulted in restoring freedom of navigation. While in Iraq, local security forces now lead most operations against ISIS remnants, requiring only a modest U.S. advisory role.

Regarding China, Thompson said it has ambitions to expand its military power projection capabilities through overseas basing, naval access and establishing dominance over critical mineral resources in Africa to fund its defense supply chains. She added that DOD will work to prevent and counter Chinese efforts to position its forces in Africa in ways that threaten the ability to defend the U.S.

"We will also work closely with interagency partners to counter Chinese efforts to exclude the United States from critical markets on the continent," she said.

Also testifying before the House committee, U.S. Central Command or Centcom Commander Army General Michael Kurilla said Iran has continued to increase its stockpiles of uranium, enriched to 60 percent, of which there is no civilian purpose.

He said regional terrorists remain under pressure because of Centcom's relentless campaign aimed at the removal of hundreds of fighters and leaders on the battlefields in Iraq and Syria. He added that a network of partners has dealt significant blows to the ISIS-Khorasan networks exploiting the tribal areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Marine General Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command, told the House committee that Africa remains a theater that the United States cannot afford to ignore as it is home to terrorists who aim to grow and export their ideology, where China seeks to establish regional hegemony and where Russia seizes opportunities created by chaos and instability.

The U.S. is committed to working with its regional partners to ensure security for those regions and for the United States. VOA/SP