But the review, ordered up by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III in March, sidesteps a decision on what to do about troop numbers in Africa, particularly Somalia, following President Donald J. Trump’s decision to pull out there last year.
A Defense official said the administration will continue to work toward figuring out troop numbers for East Africa. That decision has taken on new importance as Ethiopia slides into civil war and the Islamic extremist group Al Shabab continues attacks in Somalia.
Meanwhile, in West Africa, the Biden administration has promised France that it will bolster the country’s counterterrorism efforts, including possibly sending additional reconnaissance planes and drones to a $110 million airfield that the United States built in the desert scrub near Agadez, Niger.
Mara Karlin, a Defense Department policy official, said during a news conference Monday at the Pentagon that the troop presence in Africa would be “appropriately scoped” to monitor terrorism threats across the continent.
The review is also unclear on what President Biden plans to do to counter Russian aggression on the border with Ukraine, where Moscow has deployed troops for the second time this year, prompting fears of a military incursion. In April, in what was considered a message to Moscow, Mr. Austin announced that the United States would increase its military presence in Germany by about 500 personnel and that it was scuttling plans introduced under Mr. Trump for a large troop reduction in Europe.