Pentagon explores use of Russian bases in Asia

The US is in talks with countries that border Afghanistan about housing “over the horizon” counterterrorism operations that would allow the US military to more easily surveil and strike targets in the Taliban-controlled nation, Report informs, citing Politico.

According to an article, the Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and the head of the Central Command, General Kenneth Mckenzie, spoke to US senators during a closed-door hearing.

After testifying publicly before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, a trio of the military’s top officials briefed lawmakers behind closed doors about the discussions, which are taking place with the governments of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and others, the senators said.

The disclosure to lawmakers on Tuesday came just hours after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin acknowledged that the US had asked Russia for “clarification” about an offer from President Vladimir Putin to host the US counterterrorism operations on Russian military bases in central Asia.

Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also described to senators the nature of his conversations with his Russian counterpart, Valery Gerasimov, the senators added. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Milley raised the issue with Gerasimov, but the further details of the talks have not been previously reported.