"Quietly, the Obama administration is building up a vast array of
military resources in West Africa, and specifically in Portuguese-speaking
Lusophone countries. Reportedly, the Pentagon wants to establish a monitoring
station in the Cape Verde islands, while further south in the Gulf of Guinea
U.S. ships and personnel are patrolling local waters. Concerned lest it draw too
much attention to itself, the Pentagon has avoided constructing large military
installations and focused instead on a so-called "lily pad" strategy of smaller
bases." "Former American Vice Admiral and Deputy Commander of the U.S. Africa
Command Robert Moeller has stated that protecting "the free flow of natural
resources from Africa to the global market" is highly important, as well as
forestalling oil disruption."