AFGHANISTAN

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23 October 2009
NATO Looks at Boosting Afghanistan Support, Defense’s Gates Says

By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said NATO allies are considering sending more military forces and civilian aid to Afghanistan as President Obama also is considering what course the United States will take there.

Gates attended an informal meeting of NATO defense ministers in Bratislava, Slovakia, October 22–23, and Afghanistan was a featured topic on the ministers’ agenda.

“I think that since I’ve been at this now almost three years and after the NATO Summit this last spring, I detected a commitment and an energy on the part of our allies, both in uniform and civilians, in terms of their determination to participate with us in Afghanistan and see this through to a successful conclusion,” Gates said at a press conference October 23 in Bratislava.

“There were a number of allies who indicated they were thinking about or were moving toward increasing either their military or their civilian contributions or both,” Gates added. “I found that very heartening.”

For weeks now President Obama has been meeting with his national security team and evaluating a detailed assessment from U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, who commands both U.S. and NATO-led military forces in Afghanistan. When Obama appointed McChrystal, he requested a full assessment of the situation in Afghanistan and what would be necessary to achieve U.S. objectives, including the defeat of the terrorist group al-Qaida.

The assessment evaluated the current situation, and also what, in McChrystal’s best judgment, it would take to implement Obama’s new strategy. In late March, the president announced a comprehensive new civil, military and diplomatic strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the targeted goal of disrupting, dismantling and defeating al-Qaida to prevent the terrorist group from launching another major attack on the United States. The United States also seeks to blunt efforts by Taliban insurgents trying to regain control of the country. (See “Obama Announces New Strategy for Afghanistan, Pakistan.”)

McChrystal, a veteran of U.S. Army special operations forces, was selected by Obama to implement the military component of the new strategy. He was selected in part because he is regarded as an expert on counterinsurgency operations and conflicts of the type facing U.S. forces and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Gates received the classified assessment on September 1, and forwarded a copy to the president on September 2. In addition, McChrystal has submitted a request through channels for additional U.S. military forces to be deployed to Afghanistan.

A conference among NATO members to determine future troop levels will be held in November, Gates said. And the White House has said that it expects a decision by the president in the coming weeks. Obama’s decision also likely will include a determination of how many more U.S. troops will be sent. The Afghans will hold a runoff election November 7 to determine who their next president will be. (See “Obama Lauds Afghan President’s Participation in Runoff Vote.”)

After taking office in January, Obama approved the deployment of approximately 21,000 additional U.S. forces to cope with an anticipated Taliban spring offensive and to provide additional security for the Afghan elections in August. Allied nations also sent additional forces to provide for greater election security.

NATO ASSESSMENT

In addition to an assessment by Obama and his national security team, NATO has also been studying the McChrystal report. NATO spokesman James Appathurai said in August that “this is an assessment by the ISAF commander; it is not a change of strategy.”

Officials at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium, and NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Headquarters at Brunssum, Netherlands, have been evaluating McChrystal’s assessment, Appathurai said. McChrystal’s assessment has also been submitted to NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the North Atlantic Council, the 28-member alliance’s governing body, for consideration and approval.

“I will say that many allies spoke positively about General McChrystal’s assessment,” Gates told reporters. “This NATO ministerial presents an opportunity to consult with allies as part of our review of General McChrystal’s assessment and forces request.”

“Clearly one of the things that I think the president is expecting from me is to bring back the views of our allies on some of these issues,” Gates said.

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