Statement From Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby on 4-Star Reviewer Appointment on Manda Bay Investigation

 April 12, 2021

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4-star Reviewer Appointment on Manda Bay Investigation  

The Secretary of Defense has completed an initial review of U.S. Africa Command’s (USAFRICOM’s) Army Regulation (AR) 15-6 investigation into the January 5, 2020, al-Shabaab attack on Cooperative Security Location Manda Bay, Kenya. After considering the investigation report, Secretary Austin directed the Acting Secretary of the Army to appoint a four-star general officer to conduct an independent review of the USAFRICOM investigation (and any ongoing inquiries or investigations of USAFRICOM’s subordinate commands); to direct any further investigation that he or she deems appropriate, if any; and to serve as the Consolidated Disposition Authority (CDA) for any appropriate disciplinary actions related to the attack.  The Acting Secretary of the Army appointed U.S. Army General Paul Funk, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), to conduct the review.

We continue to offer our condolences to the family members of the three brave Americans who were killed during this attack.

An independent review will provide added insight, perspective, and the ability to assess the totality of this tragic event involving multiple Military Services and Department of Defense components.

It is the Secretary’s desire to ensure there is a full examination and consideration of the contributing factors that led to this tragic event and that appropriate action is taken to reduce the risk of future occurrence. The families impacted deserve nothing less.

The review is welcomed by USAFRICOM as they continue to work across the African continent to improve security and implement lessons learned from this attack.

Until this review is completed, we will not make any public announcements about the findings of the USAFRICOM investigation and GEN Funk’s review. We will provide updates to the family members impacted by this tragic attack and will ensure that Congress is appropriately informed when the review is completed.