The news comes amid reports about how U.S. Special Operations troops are creating elite commando units in four African countries as part of a secretive counterterrorism program. The New York Times reports the Obama administration launched the program last year to train “homegrown African counterterrorism teams” in Libya, Niger, Mauritania and Mali. An official told the Times the Pentagon is spending nearly $70 million to train and equip units in Niger and Mauritania. The effort in Mali has stalled following a military coup, while initial training in Libya was called off when militants overpowered Libyan guards at a training base and stole hundreds of U.S.-supplied items, including automatic weapons. On Wednesday, Obama is expected to give a speech at West Point outlining a new foreign policy direction that focuses more on training local forces.