Info warfare in Africa hampered by funding, commander says

What they're saying: "With a 75% reduction in our regional posture over the past decade, compounded by the drawdown of our allies, we struggle with an intelligence black hole," Gen. Dagvin Anderson told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

• "Without sufficient indicators and warnings, we risk being blind to the gathering dangers and threats in the region," he added.
• "Our adversaries are very active in the information domain."

Context: Information warfare means a dozen different things to a dozen different people. It can cover everything from weather analysis to data manipulation to social media campaigns to command-and-control interference.

By the numbers: A recent $94 million request for African information-operation activities was only funded at $19 million, according to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

• Such limited spending puts American troops in a reactive, not proactive, posture, according to Anderson.
• "What the fuller funding would do, especially if it's consistent over time," he said, "would allow us to build an information campaign and address these issues across the continent."

What we're watching: Prioritization. The most recent National Defense Strategy features the word "Africa" only twice.

Go deeper: The American war too few talk about