Reps. Panetta and Gaetz Issue Letter to Federal Government Over Providing Inaccurate Information to Congress on the U.S. Withdrawal from Niger

Washington, D.C.- Today, U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and Matt Gaetz (FL-01) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of State (DoS) providing inaccurate information to Congress on the announcement of over 1,000 U.S. troops withdrawing from Niger earlier this year.

On March 21, 2024, Assistant Secretary for Defense for International Security Affairs, Dr. Celeste Wallander, provided inaccurate testimony to Rep. Panetta during a House Committee on Armed Services (HASC) hearing claiming Niger "has not asked or demanded" that the U.S. military leave Niger. However, on July 9, 2024, in response to an April letter from Rep. Gaetz, DoSstated it received "a diplomatic note" from the government of Niger on March 19, 2024, terminating the agreement to allow U.S. military within the country and revoked access to facilities, thus asking the U.S. to leave.

Full text of the letter to Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken can be found HERE. Additionally, exclusive coverage of the letter by Intercept can be found HERE.

LETTER TEXT

Dear Secretary Austin and Blinken,

We write to express concern about the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of State's (DoS) internal communication and subsequent relay of inaccurate information to Congress regarding the drawdown of 1,000 U.S. troops from Niger in March 2024.

On March 21, 2024, during a House Armed Services Committee (HASC) hearing, Dr. Celeste Wallander, Assistant Secretary for Defense for International Security Affairs, provided inaccurate testimony in response to questioning from Congressman Panetta. Dr. Wallander stated: "Congressman… I would like to clarify that, at this point, the CNSP, the self-identified government of Niger, has not asked or demanded that the United States military depart."

However, her statement appears to contradict information received from DoS. On April 17, 2024, Congressman Gaetz sent a letter to DoS asking for a timeline of communication with the CNSP to understand when DoS began negotiations on troop withdrawals. In a letter dated July 9, 2024, in response to this inquiry, DoS stated it received "a diplomatic note [from the CNSP] on March 19, purporting to terminate, effective immediately, the SOFA and agreements concerning access and use of facilities in Niger."

Additionally, DoS' letter clearly states, "Ambassador Kathleen A. FitzGibbon and her staff are in regular contact with the Department of Defense and the Ground Force Commanders of Air Base 101 and Air Base 201. They have kept relevant DOD counterparts aware of the assurances of safety and security of our personnel." Given the date DoS provided according tohe department's records that the CNSP asked the U.S. military to leave the country and that Dr. Wallander's testimony took place days after the information was received by DoS, we have reason to believe that Dr. Wallander misrepresented the situation in Niger.

DoS works in conjunction with DoD for all security cooperative efforts and foreign military policies. Due to the unique security dynamics in the Sahel, this communication must be strong and timely to address local grievances and political sensitivities that could exasperate security

concerns. Therefore, for us to move forward with oversight measures with respect to Dr. Wallander's testimony, please provide answers to the following questions and the requested information:

1) If the CNSP notified DoS that the status of forces agreement and agreements concerning access and use of facilities (Air Bases 101 & 201) in Niger were terminated, would this constitute an order or request to leave?

2) Was DoD notified of the diplomatic note from the CNSP dated March 19, 2024, that terminated U.S. access to facilities in Niger prior to the March 21, 2024, HASC U.S. posture hearing on security challenges in the Middle East and Africa?

3) Please provide all of DoD's correspondence with DoS regarding the CNSP's March 19, 2024, diplomatic note with an unredacted date of receipt and transmission from both parties.

Please coordinate with Mr. Derrick Miller at [email protected] by no later than September 5, 2024, to transmit a response to this letter with any the relevant documents you possess.

Sincerely,

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