There Goes the Neighborhood

Although there is nothing but a mentioned rumor that China might eject us from Djibouti, our military says losing our Djibouti base if China takes over running the port there would cause significant consequences for our military.

This is something to watch out for:

The top U.S. general for Africa told lawmakers on Tuesday that the American military could face "significant" consequences should China take a key port in Djibouti, as Beijing becomes increasingly muscular in Africa in an effort to expand its influence.

But I noted the problem of our new neighbor China last year. Who our AFRICOM commander expressed worries about then.

While a sea-going base wouldn't replace refueling facilities for our Navy, The AFRICOM Queen modularized auxiliary cruiser could be a useful at-sea power projection platform to cope with the loss of a base in Djibouti.

Post one in the horn region and have one or two others cruise the coasts on missions away from the Horn of Africa.

UPDATE: Never mind:

Djibouti's container port will remain in state hands as the government seeks investment, a senior official said on Wednesday in comments likely to reassure Washington where lawmakers say they fear it could be ceded to China.

So there you go.