VOA慢速英语2018 美国可能减少在非洲的特种作战部队（在线收听）

US May Reduce Special Operations Forces in Africa

The United States military is likely reduce the number of special operations commandos deployed in Africa. But military officials tell VOA that a final decision on the move has yet to be made.

美国军方可能会减少在非洲部署的特种作战部队数量。但是军方官员告诉VOA 有关这一行动的最终决策尚未拍板。

American military experts have mixed reactions to the planned reduction.

美国的军事专家们对计划中的削减有不同的反应。 

The New York Times first reported the plan this past week.It said the number of commandos in Africa could decrease from about 1,200 to 700 over the next three years.

《纽约时报》在过去的这周首次报道了这一计划。报道称：未来三年，在非洲的特种兵数量可能从1200人左右降到700人左右。

The proposal follows a Department of Defense investigation of an incident involving four U.S. Green Berets.The four were attacked and killed while they were on duty in Niger last October.

在这项提议之前，美国国防部调查了涉及到四名美国特种兵的一起事件。去年十月，这4名特种兵在执勤时遭到袭击和杀害。

The investigation identified several problems, including poor training and direction by military leaders.The attack led some members of Congress to demand a smaller U.S. presence in Africa’s Sahel region.

调查发现了一些问题，包括军方领导人的疏于指导和训练。这次袭击导致一些国会议员要求美国减少在非洲萨赫勒地区的活动。

Major Sheryll Klinkel is a spokesperson for the defense department.In a statement to VOA, she said the U.S. is always studying where to deploy forces around the world and makes changes based on needs.

陆军少校科林可是国防部发言人。在对VOA 的一份声明中，她说道：美国一直在研究在世界什么地方部署武装力量，并且根据需要作出调整。

Klinkel added that there “has been no direction at this time” to change the size of the U.S. Africa Command.

科林可补充道：“现在还没有任何指示”改变美国在非洲的司令部规模。 

John Campbell is a former ambassador to Nigeria and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.He told VOA that military officials are concerned that U.S. Special Forces are overextended in Africa.

约翰·坎贝尔是美国驻尼日利亚的前任大使，并且也是美国对外关系委员会成员。他告诉VOA 军方官员担心美国特种部队在非洲有过度扩张的现象。

Campbell added that the goal of Special Forces in Africa has been to train African militaries to help countries improve their own security.

坎贝尔补充道：驻扎在非洲的美国特种部队的目标一直是训练非方军队协助国家提高自身安全。 

“I think that type of training can and should be provided, but it doesn’t have to be provided by Special Forces,” he said.

他说：“我认为可以也应该提供这种类型的训练，但是不一定由特种部队提供。” 

But other observers have questioned the timing and the reasoning for the decision.Former commander of Special Operations Command Africa Donald Bolduc said the attack in Niger shows why the U.S. needs to have a presence in the area.

但是别的观察者质疑做出这项决定的时间和原因。非洲前特种司令作战部司令官，唐纳德·博尔达克说：在尼日尔发生的袭击证明了美国为什么需要在这一地区部署特战部队。

“Anybody that knows me knows that I would disagree with any downsizing in Africa.We are probably too small there to begin with,” Bolduc said.“My reasoning for that is we’re in 28 different countries doing 96 different missions with 886 associated tasks.”

“所有了解我的人都知道我不同意在非洲减军，我们的规模还是太小了，所以我们不能开始减军”博尔达克说。“对此我的理由是，我们正在28个不同的国家做96种不同的任务，其中包括886个相关的任务。”

He added that the military has already had a difficult time against violent extremist organizations in the Sahel.

他补充说道：在萨赫勒地区，军方已经为反对暴力极端主义组织度过了一段艰难的时期。 

Bolduc said the territory that extremists often occupy, usually rural with intense weather, is the “quintessential special operations force environment.”

博尔达克说：极端分子占领的地区（通常是在恶劣天气下的农村地区）是“典型的特种部队作战环境”。

He said that only the most highly trained forces can operate there to secure the region for non-governmental organizations, the United Nations and local partners.

他说只有训练最有素的部队才能在那里为非政府组织、联合国和当地合作伙伴提供安全保障。 

“Without the presence that we have there now, we’re just going to increase the effectiveness of the violent extremist organizations over time,and we are going to lose trust and credibility in this area and destabilize it even further,” Bolduc said.

博尔达克说：“如果没有我们在那，随着时间的推移，极端暴力组织的影响将会增强，我们将在这个领域失去信任和公信力，甚至会破坏掉它”

Words in This Story

associate - v. to join or connect together?

mission - n. a specific task with which a person or a group is charged?

task - n. a usually assigned piece of work often to be finished within a certain time?

consistently - adj. marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity?

destabilize - v. to cause (something, such as a government) to be incapable of functioning or surviving?

quintessential - adj. perfectly typical or representative of a particular kind of person or thing?

region - n. a broad geographic area distinguished by similar features?

type - n. a particular kind, class, or group