FILE - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown speaks at the 156th National Memorial Day Observance in the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Monday, May 27, 2024. The forced U.S. troop withdrawals from bases in Niger and Chad and the potential to shift some troops to other nations in West Africa will be key issues as the top U.S. military officer meets with his counterparts this week at a chiefs of defense conference. Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Botswana Monday, June 24, 2024, as the U.S. faces a critical inflection point in Africa. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)