Allies Miffed
When maybe they need to look more closely at what Gates said and consider while they’re at it whether it’s time to pull the plug in Afghanistan, just because war is hard. Washinghton Post:
PARIS, Jan. 16 — Some of the United States’ closest NATO allies expressed anger and astonishment Wednesday at published statements by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates describing their forces as poorly trained for fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Gates’s comments, which were reported in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, came the day after the Pentagon announced it would send about 3,200 Marines to Afghanistan because NATO allies had failed to contribute more troops.
The main forces fighting Taliban efforts to regroup in southern Afghanistan include some of Washington’s staunchest allies — Canada, Britain and the Netherlands.
Dutch Defense Minister Eimert van Middlekoop, whose government recently extended its commitment in Afghanistan for two years despite increasing public opposition, summoned the U.S. ambassador to explain Gates’s criticism.
“This is not the Robert Gates we have come to know,” Van Middlekoop told the Dutch broadcasting agency NOS. “It’s also not the manner in which you treat each other when you have to cooperate with each other in the south of Afghanistan.”
In Britain, Conservative Party lawmaker Patrick Mercer called the remarks “outrageous,” the Associated Press reported.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed that the Dutch minister had summoned the ambassador, but he denied that the meeting had been “one of these sort of finger-wagging sessions and that it got emotional.”
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said: “The secretary is not backing off his fundamental criticism that NATO needs to do a better job in training for counterinsurgency. But he is not — nor has he ever — criticized any particular nation for their service in Afghanistan.”
More to the point, how come all our pals are losing enthusiasm for what is supposed to be the real war, forcing the US to commit more Marines when our allies won’t. I’m talking about the war in Afghanistan vs. al-Qaeda. Europe, as we’ve seen, isn’t that far away. Chertoff told the Beeb the other day he’s worried about homegrown Euro-Islamic terrorism and the ease with which Euros can enter the U.S. Here’s a Brit at the Guardian who agrees.
Europe of course has long been a source of significant nuisances for the United States. If the Yanks pulled the plug every time war got hard, you’d have Germans in Antwerp. Or more likely, Russians.
Meanwhile, here’s some good news from the ‘Stan. Afghan stepping up to lead. AP:
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan army will lead nearly all military operations in eastern Afghanistan this year, with U.S. troops in a support role, a top American general said Wednesday.
It’s the next step in a strategy to increase the strength of Afghanistan’s military so U.S. forces can leave one day.
Since the first major Afghan-led operation last July in southern Ghazni province, U.S. troops have been training their Afghan counterparts across the country to take over a larger share of the security responsibilities.
“Our intention is for all 2008 operations in Regional Command East to be led by Afghan National Security Forces with enabling assistance (fire support and medical evacuation in particular) from coalition forces,” Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel, deputy commanding general for operations for American forces in Afghanistan, wrote in an e-mail.
“It is very seldom that coalition forces do something by themselves without Afghan participation — and the level that we are now at is Afghans leading and coalition force supporting … and performing operations that support the (Afghan) commander,” he said.
Topics: Afghanistan, Europe
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:15 am on Thursday, January 17, 2008
8 Responses to “Allies Miffed”
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January 17th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Sounds like the Afghans take their responsibilities more seriously than the Euroweenies.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
RC East was OK when I was there in 2004-2005. Sounds like things have improved even more since then, and the ANA can let us shift south to pick up NATO’s slack. Gah.
January 17th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Is anyone surprised? For sixty years Europe has depended on the US for its security, to the point where none of the countries could defend themselves if they had to. It’s time to rejigger NATO and invite in those countries willing to maintain an adequate military, and invite out all those countries that are not.
January 17th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Web Reconnaissance for 01/17/2008
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
It’s time to rejigger NATO and invite in those countries willing to maintain an adequate military, and invite out all those countries that are not.
Rebecca, I would go one step further. I don’t think it’s an original idea, but it may be better to unilaterally withdraw from NATO, and build a new North Atlantic alliance, by invitation only, or with higher standards for military forces (say, with a minimum number of DEPLOYABLE forces as a pre-requisites, and some financial incentives as well [American bases are a major boost to local economies, look outside the main gate of any major base in the USA]).
The nature of the threat to peace and our erstwhile allies have changed enough that it could be a better way of defending our interests in Europe (which we *do* have, unfortunately). Frankly, I’d rather operate out of Poland than Germany.
Politically, of course, this would be EXTREMELY difficult to execute, especially with the cryfest the anti-war idiots are having over Bush preparing a long term treaty with Iraq. But it’s still something to think about.
January 17th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
The Canadians have done a stand up job. The Danish as well. The Brits have, again, fielded some of the best warfighters any nation can produce and also some of the weakest possible senior leadership. The nations most recently freed up from under the Warsaw Pact only have so much to give and don’t really have the infrastructure to support more than what they’re already doing.
The UK force leaders have made many acts that give an appearance of attempting to manufacture an excuse to leave. Their own squadies end up paying extra price for it, as well as American forces when it comes necessary to take back what the weak sucks in charge gave away.
The UK leadership seems enthralled with the process of “softly softly” pulling a monkey out of its ass and smearing all over their faces.
France and Germany are worthless as allies. Heavy on the less with zero worth.
January 17th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Ummm…what ever happened to the vaunted European Army France and Germany were suppose to put together as a counter balance to the US? Can’t remember the official name of the unit at the moment. Couldn’t they fight good fight in the ’stan rather and fulfill their obligations to the alliance? - at least the Germans I don’t think the French are part of the military side of NATO. Obviously these are facetious questions.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Stupid me. I forgot to mention the Diggers. Solid soldiers, through and through. Top quality officers too.
Dr. Kilcullen is one of theirs.
http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2007/10/coin-seminar-dr-david-kilculle/