Leavenworth Strategist

NATO will 'stay the course' in Afghanistan: chief

(AFP) KABUL — Visiting NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday reiterated the alliance's commitment to Afghanistan, saying troops will stay for as long as necessary despite paying a high price.

"The international community will stand with you, will protect you and help rebuild your country until you are ready to stand on your own and prevent terrorism from taking root in this country once again," he said.

Rasmussen is visiting Afghanistan for the first time since NATO allies pledged 6,800 extra troops to fight alongside an additional 30,000 US soldiers committed by US President Barack Obama to the war against the Taliban...

US, NATO Military Commander Offers Review on Afghanistan

By VOA News 31 August 2009

The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has completed a months-long strategy review and delivered his assessment to U.S. and NATO officials.

U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal says the situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and strategic changes must be made.

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the assessment does not include specific requests for more troops, but U.S. President Barack Obama and NATO leaders could discuss the issue later.

Whitman said the review is being viewed as a confidential military assessment, and there are no plans to release it to the public.

President Obama had called for the U.S. strategy review in Pakistan and Afghanistan to battle a growing insurgency of Taliban and al-Qaida militants...

Generals Discuss NATO Role in Afghan Elections

By Judith Snyderman
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2009 – The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan is supporting Afghan security forces’ efforts to secure polling centers, reduce the effects of insurgents and counter voter apathy in some regions in advance of tomorrow’s presidential and provincial council elections. 

“We are doing everything we can in conjunction with our Afghan partners to provide the very best security arrangements, and we’ve worked hard to reassure the local Afghan communities that they should take part in the election process,” Australian Brig. Gen. Damian Cantwell, chief of ISAF’s election task force, said yesterday during a “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable.

Cantwell described some of the measures ISAF has taken, including taking part in a day-long security rehearsal and sending representatives to meet with local election planners.

“We’ve gone out to each location, we’ve listened to their joint security planning supported by ISAF, [and] we’ve asked them quite telling questions about how they are going to execute the security plan on the day,” said Cantwell, who added he is impressed with what he has seen. “What we are talking about here is a team of security professionals who have demonstrated a very strong desire to do the very best for their people.”

Cantwell and Canadian Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay, an ISAF spokesman, said they expect the recent spike in insurgent activity to continue. But Tremblay noted that while insurgents have averaged 32 attacks a day for the past 10 days, they can’t disrupt 6,500 polling stations throughout Afghanistan.  

“Clearly, when you look at those numbers, they don’t have the capacity to intimidate and prevent the 15 million Afghan voters that have been registered for these elections,” Tremblay said...

(Judith Snyderman works in the Defense Media Activity’s emerging media directorate.)

 

NATO Approves Intermediate Headquarters for Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2009 – NATO has approved the idea of an intermediate military headquarters in Afghanistan, Pentagon officials said today.

The headquarters is a corps-level organization that will oversee the tactical, day-to-day operations in the country.

U.S. officials would like to see Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, deputy commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan in the post.

The new headquarters would allow the four-star commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, to concentrate on the big-picture parts of the conflict, including building relationships and coordinating with the Afghan and Pakistani governments, as well as as nongovernmental and international agencies, and overseeing training for Afghan security forces.

The intermediate headquarters would coordinate NATO and allied efforts in Afghanistan where about 64,500 servicemembers from 42 nations serve in NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. Nearly 30,000 of that total are American. An additional 28,000 Americans are serving in Afghanistan outside of ISAF.

Most of the troops assigned to the intermediate headquarters would come from the U.S. Army’s 5th Corps based in Germany, officials said. Still, other NATO and NATO-allied nations would contribute to manning the organization.

The command arrangement is similar to that used by coalition forces in Iraq, with a four-star Multinational Force Iraq commander and a three-star Multinational Corps Iraq commander working together...

Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Shares Strategy

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

KABUL, July 16, 2009 – Patience and time are keys to success in Afghanistan, the commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan told reporters here yesterday.

Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal discussed his views on what it will take to bring and maintain security in Afghanistan and the importance of helping the Afghans establish governance throughout the provinces.

McChrystal became commander of U.S. and international forces in the country last month at a time of increased violence. President Barack Obama nominated him to replace Army Gen. David McKiernan due to McChrystal’s counterinsurgency success in Iraq and his special operations background.

As NATO’s International Security Assistance Force commander here, McChrystal is expected to be in Afghanistan for around 24 months...

Russia Allows Transit for Afghanistan-bound U.S. Troops

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2009 – An agreement signed in Moscow today permits the United States to transit troops and weapons across Russian territory en route to Afghanistan.

The pact, signed during President Barack Obama’s visit to the Kremlin, permits 4,500 flights per year through Russian airspace, and saves the U.S. government $133 million annually in transportation costs while boosting logistical efficiency, according to a White House statement.

“This is a substantial contribution by Russia to our international effort, and it will save the United States time and resources in giving our troops the support that they need,” Obama said during a news conference with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.

Following today’s meeting between the two presidents, Obama told reporters that he and Medvedev agreed on the need to combat the threat of violent extremism, particularly from al-Qaida. Access to Russian transit routes substantially increases the efficiency of efforts against violent extremism in Afghanistan, the White House statement said...

US seeks European funds, troops for Afghanistan

By Patrick Rahir 
BERLIN (AFP) — Europe must commit more funds and troops to stabilise Afghanistan after the August presidential elections or risk staying in the country indefinitely, the US envoy to NATO Ivo Daalder said Wednesday.

"The US is doing its part -- Europe and Germany can and should do more," Daalder told a conference on transatlantic relations in Berlin.

"Additional troops (sent to Afghanistan to provide security during the elections) must stay after the elections."

Daalder said the United States estimated 17 billion dollars was needed to train and equip the Afghan army and two billion dollars per year to sustain it.

"There is no way Afghanistan can pay for its force," he said, noting that the Afghan government had taken in about 750 million dollars in revenues last year.

He said the United States would pay 5.5 billion dollars this year and 7.5 billion dollars next year but said it was crucial that Europe make up the difference.

NATO on The Boardwalk: Allies Chill Out At Afghan Base

June 25, 2009

By REUTERS

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Down on the boardwalk, a knot of Romanian soldiers are sitting under the umbrellas at the French patisserie, sipping non-alcoholic Becks beer in the shade.

At Tom Horton's, the Canadian donut place, U.S. airmen are drinking coffee, surfing on the wireless internet on their laptops and listening to Beyonce on British Forces Radio.

The only people sitting in the scorching sun are the bright pink British officers, a dazzling glare shining off one sweaty bald pate.

Super-secret special forces guys stroll by, glowering coolly in baggy shorts, T-shirts and floppy sun hats, "under cover" in their tell-tale woolly beards.

Welcome to Kandahar Air Field, or KAF, the most cosmopolitan NATO base ever assembled inside a combat zone, where troops from a host of countries relax after missions on a boardwalk that feels like a multi-national beachside resort.

The United States and many of its allies have been fighting shoulder-to-shoulder in Afghanistan and, to a lesser degree Iraq, for almost eight years.

In both war zones, large bases are usually run by a single country, bringing restaurants, shops and amenities to make the troops feel like home.

But the headquarters for NATO forces in southern Afghanistan is a bona fide alliance mish-mash.

Command rotates every nine months between generals from the Netherlands, Britain and Canada. Troops from more than a dozen countries work here full time...

Next 18 Months Critical in Afghanistan, McChrystal Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2009 – The next 18 months will be crucial in Afghanistan, the new commander of NATO and U.S. forces there said today.

“I think that the next 18 months are probably a period in which this effort will be decided,” Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal told Tom Bowman in a National Public Radio interview. “I don't think it will be over. But I think that not only the American people, I think the Afghan people are looking and deciding which way this will go.”

McChrystal took command of coalition and U.S. efforts in Afghanistan on June 15. His job is to carry out the new strategy for the region.

The general said the conflict should not be viewed solely as a military struggle. It is not a question of whether the United States is winning, he said, but whether the Afghan people are winning. The Afghan government is the ultimate deciding factor, and while the government is not winning the war on extremists, “I don't say they’re losing,” McChrystal said...

 

Turks to NATO: Let’s get it right

by Serkan Demirtaş ISTANBUL (Hürriyet) - Turkey says the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan, referred to collectively as Afpak, should be considered separate cases with separate solutions. 'Analysis made for Afghanistan cannot be applicable to Pakistan,' a senior official says. Turkey has expressed this view to NATO, the EU and the US and will work to influence policy in the region

 Amid new initiatives to deal with the growing problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkey is readying to roll up its sleeves to guide international efforts toward a more sound policy regarding the region.

Despite its support for the United States-led approach to resolving issues in the troubled region, Turkey has objected to the generalization of the countries’ problems, saying, "One size does not always fit all."

"Analysis made for Afghanistan cannot be applicable to Pakistan. We have no problem with the use of the word ’Afpak,’ but one should not forget the differences between these two countries," a senior foreign ministry official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

US Shares Drone Intelligence with Pakistan, But No Joint Control

VOA By Al Pessin, Washington, 14 May 2009

The top U.S. military officer says the United States has shared intelligence with Pakistan that was gathered by unmanned aircraft flying over Pakistani territory. But he says there is no joint-control of drone missions, as a U.S. newspaper reported on Wednesday. The comments came during a U.S. Senate committee hearing, at which one leading senator called on the Pakistani government to be more supportive of U.S. efforts to clear the region of militant groups.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said the United States has provided Pakistan with pictures taken by the unmanned aircraft operated by the U.S. military. But he said Pakistan has not requested any such photos for the past month, while it has been engaged in a major offensive against militants in the Swat Valley, not far from the capital, Islamabad

NATO troop commander says battle in southern Afghanistan will be pivotal

(The Canadian Press) KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Afghanistan's future will be decided by the crucial battle for control of the southern part of the country where Canadian troops are located, a top NATO commander said Monday.

"The international community clearly realizes that the main military effort is in southern Afghanistan, so you need to concentrate the bulk of your forces there," Maj.-Gen. Mart de Kruif said in an interview.

"If you talk about successful elections or winning the counter-insurgency, it will be decided in southern Afghanistan."

De Kruif, who has been head of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the region since last November, predicted the arrival of 17,000 U.S. troops in the area would be a major boost for coalition forces, including Canada's, in the ongoing battle for Kandahar.

"Kandahar is the most important city," he said. "I would even say perhaps more important than Kabul, based on the history of Kandahar and its position. It is essential."

NATO pledges more troops for Afghanistan, but not combat forces

LA Times By Henry Chu (April 5, 2009)

Reporting from Strasbourg, France -- NATO announced Saturday that it would send about 5,000 additional troops and trainers to Afghanistan, a boost that President Obama hailed as "a strong down payment on the future of our mission" there, but one that failed to include the combat forces Washington had sought...

 

The new NATO troops will include 3,000 soldiers on temporary assignment to assist in securing national elections scheduled for August. The remainder will provide training for the Afghan army, to encourage its transformation from a ragtag band into a professional, well-equipped military.

NATO Turns 60; Reflects Past; Defines Future

(Voice of America) By Sonja Pace, Brussels, 30 March 2009

Founded in the aftermath of World War II and at the onset of the Cold War, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization bound together western European countries, Canada and the United States to safeguard each other's security against the rising threat of the Soviet Union. Much has changed - the Soviet Union is no more, and NATO has expanded eastward.

Fighting pirates off the coast of Somalia and insurgents in the mountains of Afghanistan may not be what NATO founders had in mind 60 years ago. But that is what the alliance faces today.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has about 60,000 troops under its command in Afghanistan and more are on the way.

Russia rules out its military presence in Afghanistan

 

(INTERFAX) Russia does not intend to resume its military presence in Afghanistan, but it will assist the international military forces deployed in that country, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin in an interview with Interfax

            "Russian military presence in Afghanistan is impossible. There is a consensus in Russian society on this issue, taking into account the historical record," Borodavkin said.

            Talking about the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, Borodavkin said that, "in the current conditions, these troops in fact remain a force curbing the terrorist threat."

            "Their presence at this moment meets both interests of Afghanistan itself, as well as regional and in a wider context international security. Proceeding from this understanding, Russia intends to continue to provide political support to the international forces stationed in Afghanistan under a UN Security Council resolution," he said.

            Peace and stability in Afghanistan meet long-term interests of both Russia and the NATO member-states, which make up a majority at the ISAF, he said...

(U.S.) Foreign Service Jobs in Afghanistan to Grow

By Karen DeYoung

Washington Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, March 24, 2009; A04

 

The State Department will significantly expand its presence in regional capitals in western and northern Afghanistan in coming months, part of the Obama administration's plans for a "surge" in civilians going to the country.

 

"As part of our expanding efforts in Afghanistan," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a cable sent Saturday to all Foreign Service officers, "the Department intends to create 14 additional FS positions in Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif."

 

The cable called the jobs "priority" assignments and "new opportunities" for diplomats about to bid on new postings for later this year...

U.S., NATO Have ‘Unity of Purpose’ in Afghan Mission, Clinton Says

By John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2009 – U.S. and NATO allies showed “unity of purpose” during discussions about their shared mission in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday.

Following a meeting with NATO officials in Brussels, Belgium, Clinton said there was broad agreement among allies to ensure safe Afghan elections in August, boost economic development there and take a regional approach that includes Pakistan.

“We expressed a unity of purpose with respect to Afghanistan, NATO's most important ongoing operation,” she said. “In Afghanistan and in the border regions of Pakistan, we face a common threat, we have a common challenge, and we share a common responsibility.”

Participants at the meeting acknowledged a need for more resources and personnel in the region, said Clinton, whose trip comes a week before Vice President Joe Biden is expected to discuss future NATO contributions with allies in Brussels...

Europe Willing to Boost Civilian Aid to Afghanistan

DW-WORLD.DE 24.02.2009

The United States would like to see European states send more troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. The EU's foreign ministers have said they're ready to help, but that more soldiers are not necessarily the answer.

The European Union has launched programs in Afghanistan to help train police and judges to do their jobs. It’s these types of programs that European leaders are committed to supporting. At the same time, there's much less enthusiasm among the EU's foreign ministers for sending troops to fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

 

"There are ways of cooperating on Afghan's stability apart from just by the military," the bloc's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday, Feb. 23.

Solana said the EU could do more to assist Afghanistan, but not with military means. He was backed by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.

New Troops to Be Deployed to Secure Afghan Elections

By VOA News
23 February 2009

The deputy commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan says he is confident member states will send thousands of extra troops needed to bolster security for presidential elections in August.

Lieutenant General Jim Dutton told reporters Monday "we are talking about thousands" of soldiers, but he added "not many thousands." He explained they will be used to provide extra mobile forces on one or two days for the August 20 polls.

Dutton also said NATO is confident they will get what they have asked for.

NATO allies reluctant to increase Afghan presence

International Herald Tribune/The Associated Press, Friday, February 20, 2009

KRAKOW, Poland: NATO defense ministers concluded two days of talks here Friday with indications that few allies were willing to offer significant numbers of additional combat troops for Afghanistan but that they might seek to compensate by deploying more civilians to train local security forces and build the country's economy.

The announcement this week that the Obama administration would send 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan by the summer was met with formal offers from allies numbering only in the hundreds of fresh troops of their own.

Afghan Officials Join US Review of War Strategy

(Voice of America) By Barry Newhouse, Kabul,15 February 2009

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his government will participate in President Barack Obama's strategic review of the war in Afghanistan. Mr. Karzai announced the agreement after meeting with U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke.

Karzai described talks with ambassador Holbrooke as frank, detailed and fruitful and said he looks forward to working with President Obama on reviewing U.S. strategy in the region.

Russia links Afghanistan help to better NATO ties

MOSCOW, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Russia could help NATO re-supply its forces in Afghanistan if the alliance restores contacts with Moscow that were put on hold over the war with Georgia, a senior Russian envoy was quoted as saying on Thursday.

Ambassadors from the alliance's 26 members and Russia will meet in a joint council on Monday for the first time since NATO suspended the sessions in protest at what it called Russia's "disproportionate" use of force against Georgia last August.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's ambassador to NATO, for the first time made an explicit link between the restoration of ties and giving the alliance transit routes across Russia and neighbouring states to ship supplies into Afghanistan.

NATO Nations Scolded for Shirking Duties In Afghanistan

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 16, 2009; A16

Britain's defense chief yesterday sharply criticized NATO's other European members for failing to do their part in Afghanistan, saying some of them had "limited appetites" for the operation and preferred "freeloading on the back of U.S. military security."

The assessment by British Defense Secretary John Hutton followed what one Pentagon official called a "disappointing" response this week to a request from NATO headquarters for additional troops and other resources to provide security for Afghanistan's elections this fall...

US VP-elect Biden promises help in Afghan visit

By Fisnik Abrashi, Associated Press Writer / January 10, 2009

KABUL, Afghanistan—Vice President-elect Joe Biden pledged long-term American support for Afghanistan during a visit Saturday, and the commander of NATO-led forces told him that thousands of new American troops expected this year will need more support against surging Taliban violence...

Earlier, America's top general in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, told Biden that thousands of new American troops expected in the country's south will need more support to beat back surging Taliban violence.

ISAF satisfied with transport supplies from Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Jan 9 (APP):  An ISAF spokesman in Afghanistan Captain  Mark Windsor said on Thursday that NATO forces were happy with transport supplies from Pakistan.

Talking to private TV, he said “ We are very happy with our supply coming through Pakistan.

He said Pakistani security forces were launching  military operation in the region of Peshawar to try to help make safe passage for our supplies.

He said there were challenges but they were happy with the support being provided by Pakistan.

United Nations doubles Afghan aid budget

KABUL (AFP) — The United Nations said Wednesday it will double the budget of its Afghan mission next year, taking on hundreds of new staff and opening more offices to meet more "complex" challenges.

For 2009 its budget will be 150-160 million dollars, up from 81 million dollars in 2008.

"(The 2009 budget) will be, in fact, double our current budget, and allow us to raise the number of our personnel from 1,500 to 2,000," said Kai Eide, the UN secretary general's special representative for Afghanistan...

US May Double Troop Presence in Afghanistan

(VOA) By Kent Klein, Washington, 20 December 2008

The top U.S. military officer says the United States may double the number of troops it has in Afghanistan next year.  The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, says as many as 30,000 more troops could arrive by mid-2009. 

Admiral Mullen told reporters in Kabul the additional troops may reach Afghanistan in spring or summer, to join the 31,000 U.S. troops already there. "Some 20- to 30,000 is the window of overall increase from where we are right now," he said...

Ex-Soviet military pact urges NATO cooperation

MOSCOW (AP) - The worsening situation in Afghanistan warrants more cooperation between NATO and a Russian-led military organization, the head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization said Friday.
The CSTO links Russia with Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, serving as a tool for Moscow to preserve clout in its former Soviet backyard.
«The situation in Afghanistan is quite complex, and there is a trend toward its deterioration,» its head, Nikolai Bordyuzha, said at a briefing.
Russia in April agreed to allow NATO to transport non-lethal supplies overland to its forces in Afghanistan, and Russian officials said the deal still stands despite freezing of Russia-NATO ties over the Russian-Georgian war.
Bordyuzha said that transit of cargo for NATO troops could be one of the areas of cooperation between the alliance and the CSTO...

NATO Looking For Alternative Routes To Support Afghan Operations

(RFE/RL) NATO says it is interested in finding alternative routes to supply its troops stationed in Afghanistan.

NATO spokesman James Appathurai told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that talks with Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and the majority of Central Asian countries about possible railway routes to Afghanistan are under way.

Appathurai said the issue cannot be solved quickly. But he add that there are only technical, not political issues, to be resolved.

The project, called "Lines of Communications," has been under discussion for almost two years.

NATO calls for more troops as Afghan insurgency heats up

MONS, Belgium (AFP) — NATO commanders in Afghanistan need more troops and equipment to combat the Taliban, the alliance's top officer warned Monday, as insurgent attacks mount in southern and eastern regions.

US General John Craddock said that, based on a new assessment, the commanders would need three military brigades -- around 10,000 troops -- on top of the single brigade the United States is set to deploy in January.

NATO’s Lifeline to Afghanistan Threatened

(Weeklystandard.com) Over the weekend, the Pakistani government closed down the vital border crossing to Afghanistan in the Khyber tribal agency. The decision was made after the Taliban hijacked and looted a convoy of vehicles transporting supplies and two Humvees to NATO forces in Afghanistan. The crossing was reopened today after Pakistan said it would provide military escorts for the convoys.

Attacks on NATO convoys have risen dramatically the past month. More than 70 percent of NATO’s supplies pass through Khyber, making this route the key supply line for our forces in Afghanistan. With the Taliban insurgency in Pakistan’s northwest worsening, NATO’s main supply route will increasingly be threatened.

Afghan famine greater risk than Taliban: British think-tank

LONDON (AFP) — A looming famine in Afghanistan poses a greater threat to international efforts to rebuild the country than the ongoing insurgency there, a leading defence think-tank warned Friday.

According to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a combination of factors -- from rising global food prices to a summer drought -- have created the conditions for a famine in Afghanistan this winter.

"While the eyes of the world have focused on violence which is increasingly terrorist in character, an estimated 8.4 million Afghans, perhaps a third of the nation, are now suffering from 'chronic .. food insecurity'," RUSI analyst Paul Smyth said in a briefing note.

Elections 'vital': new NATO chief south Afghanistan

By RNW Security and Defence specialist Hans de Vreij*

The new Dutch commander of international forces in southern Afghanistan says the most important measure of success is not fighting the Taliban but ensuring that next year's general election is free, fair and peaceful. Major General Mart de Kruif will take over as commander of NATO forces on 1 November.

Major General De Kruif will spend a year devoting himself to a range of tasks including stopping the armed insurgency against the central government in Kabul, helping to set up reconstruction projects and ensuring good governance in the region. 

NATO steps up counter-narcotics efforts

(NATO News) Based on the request of the Afghan government, the Alliance will look at ways to enhance its contributions in the fight against narcotics, said NATO Secretary General at a press conference in Budapest, Hungary, on 10 October.

“Based on the request of the Afghan government, consistent with the appropriate United Nations Security Council resolutions, under the existing operational plan, ISAF can act in concert with the Afghans against facilitaties and facilitators supporting the insurgency, in the context of counternarcotics, subject to authorization of respective nations”, he declared.

NATO’s operations in Afghanistan were discussed during a two-day informal meeting of Defence Ministers with invitees (Albania and Croatia) and non-NATO ISAF contributing nations in Budapest, Hungary, on 9-10 October 2008.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Is Gloomy on Afghanistan

(NY Times) By ERIC SCHMITT
WASHINGTON — With security and economic conditions in Afghanistan already in dire straits, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday that the situation there would probably only worsen next year.

 

“The trends across the board are not going in the right direction,” the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, told reporters. “I would anticipate next year would be a tougher year.”

 

Admiral Mullen said Afghanistan was likely to continue what a nearly completed intelligence assessment called “a downward spiral” unless there were rapid, major improvements. Those improvements include curbing Afghanistan’s booming heroin trade, bolstering district and tribal leaders to offset a weak central government in Kabul, breathing life into a flagging economy and stemming the flow of militants who are carrying out increasingly sophisticated attacks from havens in Pakistan.

Gates Seeks European Troops for Afghanistan

By Peter Finn
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 9, 2008; A15

OHRID, Macedonia, Oct. 8 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Wednesday asked defense ministers from southeastern Europe to send more troops to Afghanistan, a message that he is likely to forcefully echo at a meeting with other NATO defense officials this week.

"As the situation on the ground in Iraq continues to improve, I urge you to consider sending your military forces to Afghanistan, where there is an urgent need for trainers as they expand their army," Gates said at a meeting of the South-Eastern Europe Defense Ministerial, a 12-member organization composed of NATO members and countries such as Macedonia that want to join the military alliance.

Former EU Envoy Calls for Review of Goals and Strategy in Afghanistan

Voice of America (VOA) By Gary Thomas, Washington, 24 September 2008

The European Union's former top diplomat to Afghanistan says the international community should review its aims and activities to stave off possible disaster there. Francesc Vendrell, who recently stepped down as the EU's Special Envoy to Afghanistan, talked with VOA correspondent Gary Thomas, who has this report.

In an exclusive VOA interview, Francesc Vendrell called for a comprehensive review of international strategy and objectives in Afghanistan.

US Defense Secretary in Afghanistan as Top Commander Calls for More Troops

By Al Pessin (VOA), Kabul, 16 September 2008

As U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Kabul Tuesday, the top U.S. and NATO commander there said he needs well over 10,000 more troops, in addition to several thousand President Bush announced last week. The commander, Army General David McKiernan, also announced he has issued new orders, stressing the need to avoid civilian casualties, in the wake of several controversial U.S. air strikes that have killed dozens of Afghan civilians in recent weeks. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Kabul.

General McKiernan told reporters at his headquarters here that he needs more troops, and not a temporary increase like the one that recently ended in Iraq. "I don't like to use the word 'surge' for Afghanistan because I think what we need are increased capabilities on a sustained basis," he said.

Britain to send more troops to Afghanistan

by Robin Millard  Mon Jun 16 (AFP) 

Britain is to send more troops to Afghanistan boosting the strength to the "highest level," Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Monday after talks with US President George W. Bush.

The announcement comes as the bodies of five British soldiers were being repatriated from Afghanistan, including the 100th to die there since US-led operations began in late 2001.

The new deployment, welcomed by Bush, is expected to take British troop levels to around 8,000 in Afghanistan, where they have been involved in fierce fighting with Taliban militia.

More German Troops to Afghanistan

By JUDY DEMPSEY and ALAN COWELL (The New York Times)

BERLIN — Under pressure from NATO, Germany announced Tuesday that it would increase the level of troops available for duty in Afghanistan by almost one-third to 4,500.

Franz Josef Jung, the defense minister, said the government wanted to increase the number of troops it can send to Afghanistan by 1,000, after a parliamentary mandate limiting the deployment to 3,500 expires in October. The increase will require the approval of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.

Gates Begins NATO Deliberations in Belgium

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 12, 2008 – NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan is the most important issue facing NATO defense ministers -- including U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates -- meeting here today, a top U.S. military official said.

Border security is a topic of discussion, and the ministers also will examine the way forward not only with Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, but also the other six countries with which it shares borders, Navy Vice Adm. William D. Sullivan, the U.S. military representative to NATO’s military committee, said.

As Ills Persist, Afghan Leader Is Losing Luster

June 7, 2008

Nytimes By HELENE COOPER

WASHINGTON — After six years in which Hamid Karzai has been the darling of the United States and its allies, his luster may be fading.

Next week, Mr. Karzai, the Afghan president, is to arrive in Paris for a donors conference with attendees from 80 countries and organizations. He will ask for $50 billion to finance a five-year development plan intended to revive Afghanistan’s decrepit farming sector, promote economic development and diversify the economy away from its heavy reliance on opium.

But there is a growing concern in Europe, the United Nations and even the Bush administration that Mr. Karzai, while well-spoken, colorful and often larger than life, is not up to addressing Afghanistan’s many troubles.

A senior State Department official questioned whether Mr. Karzai had the “trust and the backbone” for the job.

US: Dutch, British to extend Afghanistan commands

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer

The Defense Department said Wednesday it has shelved a plan to take greater control in parts of Afghanistan where NATO is in charge after the Dutch and British agreed to extend their commands.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the Netherlands and Britain will stay in control in southern Afghanistan for a full year, rather than nine months, as the military alliance fights a stubborn Taliban insurgency.

The European allies agreed to the new arrangement in recent conversations with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Morrell said.

NATO Command Extension in Afghanistan Isn’t Done Deal, Spokesman Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2008 – A Pentagon announcement yesterday that NATO command tours will be extended to a year was premature, Defense Department officials said today.

Geoff Morrell, Pentagon press secretary, said he was wrong when he said during a news conference that Dutch and British officials had agreed to extend their commands of Regional Command South from nine to 12 months.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has spoken with his Dutch and British counterparts about the problems associated with nine-month command tours in Regional Command South, Morrell said. “They have all agreed that extending them to 12 months would provide more stability and predictability,” he said in a written correction. “This is not yet a done deal.

US to build vast prison in Afghanistan: Pentagon

(AFP) The United States plans to build a vast, new detention camp at its main military base in Afghanistan, a Defense Department spokesman said on Saturday.

"I can confirm there are indeed plans to build a new detention facility at Bagram airfield," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wright told AFP. "And the overall size is expected to be 40 acres (16.2 ha)."

New NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan

(NATO Press Release, 7 May 08) The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, announced the appointment of Ambassador Fernando Gentilini of Italy to the position of NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan.

Mr. Gentilini has a long and distinguished career in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including senior positions as the European Union High Representative’s Personal Representative to Kosovo in 2004 and most recently as Deputy Diplomatic Advisor to the Italian Prime Minister since August 2006.

U.S. to add up to 7,000 troops to force in Afghanistan

from International Herald Tribune

By Steven Lee Myers and Thom Shanker

Sunday, May 4, 2008

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon has begun planning to send as many as 7,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan next year to make up for a shortfall in contributions from NATO allies, senior Bush administration officials said.

They said the step would push the number of U.S. forces there to roughly 40,000, the highest level since the war began, and would require at least a modest reduction in troops in Iraq.

The planning began in recent weeks, reflecting a growing resignation to the fact that NATO was unable or unwilling to contribute more troops despite public pledges of an intensified effort in Afghanistan from the presidents and prime ministers who attended an alliance summit meeting in Bucharest last month.

McKiernan Departing for Afghanistan

Excerpt from article by Dave Melancon
HEIDELBERG, Germany (Army News Service, May 6, 2008) -- McKiernan, who became USAREUR's 33rd commanding general in December 2005, will depart for a new assignment as commander of NATO's United Nations-mandated International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. McKiernan said he is ready to take charge of the approximately 47,000 ISAF troops that are assisting Afghan authorities in stabilizing and building their nation.

"I move on to my final duty. It is one I have trained for. It is my turn to redeploy to the fight," he said. "I am ready to commit my all to the 40 nations in the ISAF and to the Afghan people."

U.S. weighs thousands more troops for Afghan war: paper

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Pentagon is considering sending up to 7,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan next year to make up for a shortfall in contributions from NATO allies, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

The increase would likely result in "the re-Americanization" of the war, one U.S. official said, according to the Times. U.S. forces would then account for two-thirds of foreign troops in Afghanistan, it said.

The report appeared a day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States could consider taking over NATO's command in southern Afghanistan, where some NATO allies have been reluctant to provide combat forces.

French military involvement in Afghanistan: c’est magnifique, mais est-ce bien la guerre?

(from WSI Brussels Blog)  by Julien Tonon April 16th, 2008
The French have been involved in the war in Afghanistan since its opening days in 2001 – first with their air force and then with ground troops since 2002. Six years later, France’s presence in the area comprises about 1.700 personnel based in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and the Indian Ocean. This represents less than three percent of the 60,000 allied troops deployed in the area, meaning France ranks seventh amongst all contributors, lagging behind more modest military powers such as Canada and the Netherlands.

The French military involvement in Afghanistan has seen troops deployed to both Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) – the American-led anti-terrorist operation that was launched in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 – and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) – the multinational stabilisation and reconstruction mission that was taken over by NATO in 2003. Now, with the French Government agreeing, after weeks of deliberation, to send more troops to Afghanistan, speculation is mounting as to what can be expected from France’s future involvement there.