Richardcyoung.com

  • Home
  • Debbie Young
  • Jimmy Buffett
  • Key West
  • Your Survival Guy
  • How We Are Different
  • Paris
  • About Us
    • Foundation Principles
    • Contributors
  • Investing
    • You’ve Read The Last Issue of Intelligence Report, Now What?
  • The Swiss Way
  • My Rifles
  • Dividends and Compounding
  • Your Security
  • Dick Young
  • Dick’s R&B Top 100
  • Liberty & Freedom Map
  • Bank Credit & Money
  • Your Survival Guy’s Super States
  • NNT & Cholesterol
  • Your Health
  • Ron Paul
  • US Treasury Yield Curve: My Favorite Investor Tool
  • Anti-Gun Control
  • Anti-Digital Currency
  • Joel Salatin & Alfie Oakes
  • World Gold Mine Production
  • Fidelity & Wellington Since 1971
  • Hillsdale College
  • Babson College
  • Contact Us

The Pentagon Misled Congress about Its Presence in Niger

September 12, 2023 By Richard C. Young

A Boeing C-17 Globemaster III takes off June 19th, 2021 at Air Base 201, Niger. The aircraft’s ability to transport large amounts of personnel and cargo is critical to supporting U.S. Air Force operations in austere environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jan K. Valle)

According to former congressman and presidential candidate, Dr. Ron Paul, and journalists at The Intercept, “the Pentagon repeatedly misled Congress about the extent and the cost of the US presence in Niger.” Paul writes at the Ron Paul Institute:

The July military coup in the west African country of Niger has once again brought attention to the fact that the US government runs a global military empire that serves Washington’s special interests, and not the national interest.

Before the coup made news headlines, most Americans – including many serving in Congress – had no idea the US government maintains more than 1,000 troops stationed on several US bases in Niger. But it’s even worse than that. A recent report in The Intercept suggests the Pentagon repeatedly misled Congress about the extent and the cost of the US presence in Niger.

According to The Intercept, “in testimony before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees in March, the chief of US Africa Command described Air Base 201 (in Niger) as ‘minimal’ and ‘low cost.’” In fact the US government has spent a quarter of a billion dollars on the base since construction began in 2016.

So when did Congress declare war so as to legalize US military operations in Niger? They didn’t. But as Kelley Vlahos writes in Responsible Statecraft, US troops have been “training” the military in Niger since 2013 and the US government has constructed a number of military bases to “fight terrorism” in the country and region.

Does that mean that the Pentagon is operating in Niger under the 2001 authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) meant to track down those who attacked the US on 9/11? It’s a good question and thankfully one being asked by Sen. Rand Paul in a recent letter sent to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Senator Paul first pointed out in the letter, “the Administration’s limitless interpretation of the 9/11 AUMF and frequent use of Title 10 authorities results in military operations abroad conducted with little Congressional oversight and even less public scrutiny.” Such actions “undermine our Constitution,” he writes as he asks, “in how many countries are US forces conducting operations authorized by the 2001 AUMF.”

Read more here.

If you’re willing to fight for Main Street America, click here to sign up for my free weekly email.

Related Posts

  • Appropriators Get Tossed from Congress
  • Congress Gets the Spending Bill All Wrong
  • Europe “Facing Its Destiny”
  • Congress Should Vote No
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Richard C. Young
Richard C. Young
Richard C. Young is the editor of Young's World Money Forecast, and a contributing editor to both Richardcyoung.com and Youngresearch.com.
Richard C. Young
Latest posts by Richard C. Young (see all)
  • Songhoy Blues: Live at KEXP - June 13, 2025
  • Did Israel Singlehandedly End Iran’s Nuclear Dreams? - June 13, 2025
  • Decapitated: Iran Loses at Least 20 Commanders - June 13, 2025

Dick Young’s Must Reads

  • 751 “No-Go” Zones in France
  • America’s Colleges Have Become Progressive Liberal Rat Holes
  • Does Big Government Create Poverty?
  • Washington Is the Systemic Risk
  • Florida: Enjoy Certain Freedoms and Individual Liberties
  • Globalism Has Made America Dependent on Foreign Countries
  • Tom Brady Is Proof You Shouldn’t Retire if You Still Love Your Work
  • A NEW CONTRACT WITH AMERICA: Rick Scott Finally Gives the GOP Something to Run On
  • Joel Salatin Can Help Americans Beat Food Inflation
  • Life: When Others Resent You for Your Success

Our Most Popular Posts

  • Whoa, Hang on Here. There’s Trouble in Culver City
  • Is Salt Bad for You?
  • RON PAUL: Can Musk and Trump Reconcile?
  • Graduating from Work to Retirement #19: A Teacher for Life
  • Saving Western Civilization
  • $25 Million Down; $175 Million to Go
  • Ukraine’s Attack Underlines Need for Trump-Style Border Control
  • There Are Only Two Ways to Cut Entitlements
  • No More NSAIDS for Back Pain?
  • Remembering Desi Arnaz

Compensation was paid to utilize rankings. Click here to read full disclosure.

RSS Youngresearch.com

  • Epic Man Cave with Car Elevator in Utah
  • Oil Prices Spike as Markets Brace for Potential Middle East Conflict
  • Is Private Capital Appropriate for 401(k)s?
  • US Underground Natural Gas Storage Capacity Grew in 2024
  • Trump Revokes Biden Policy on Snake River Dams
  • Graduating from Work to Retirement Special Bonus: God Only Knows
  • US Secures LNG Export Deals Worth $200 Billion
  • High-Voltage Cable Crunch Hits Global Electrification
  • May PPI Lower than Expected
  • Graduating from Work to Retirement #20: Life in Reverse

RSS Yoursurvivalguy.com

  • Epic Man Cave with Car Elevator in Utah
  • Is Private Capital Appropriate for 401(k)s?
  • Strikes Expose Israel’s Hidden Drone Operations Inside Iran
  • Even If You Don’t Golf: Part 2
  • Graduating from Work to Retirement Special Bonus: God Only Knows
  • Private Equity: Moody’s Warns There’s Ample Cause for Concern
  • Your Survival Guy: Castle Hill, Newport
  • Containerized Missiles and the New Rules of War
  • Graduating from Work to Retirement #20: Life in Reverse
  • America’s Silent Army with 423M Guns

US Treasury Yield Curve: My Favorite Investor Tool

My Key West Garden Office

Your Retirement Life: Traveling the Efficient Frontier

Live a Long Life

Your Survival Guy’s Mt. Rushmore of Investing Legends

“Then One Day the Grandfather was Gone”

Copyright © 2025 | Terms & Conditions | About Us | Dick Young | Archives