The Pentagon is looking to build a series of military bases in Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia, as U.S. intelligence agencies try to keep up with the rapidly growing Islamic State, according to The Houston Chronicle. Headquartered in Syria, ISIS is growing and found in other countries, bringing a bigger threat and challenge in containing the militant terroristic group.
In the proposal to the White House, the Pentagon has plans for the bases to collect intelligence as well as continue with air strikes against ISIS, which is picking up steam with new recruits, The Miami Herald reported. With the influx of new groups joining ISIS, it is getting tough to determine which pose the immediate threats to the U.S. and which are regional focused in the Middle East instead, something the Obama administration continues to debate in efforts to protect the U.S.
"These threats are difficult to confine to one place," said Gen. Joseph E. Dunford Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirming the need to strike ISIS not just in Iraq and Syria, but also in "other places where it is."
"Because we cannot predict the future, these regional nodes - from Moron, Spain, to Jalalabad, Afghanistan - will provide a forward presence to respond to a range of crises, terrorist and other kinds," said former Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey shortly before he retired, according to The People's Voice. "These will enable unilateral crisis response, counterterror operations, or strikes on high-value targets."
