Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

15 September 2003

NATO

• The U.S. military will continue to have a “strong and vibrant” presence in Europe, the top U.S. military commander in Europe said Friday, even as Washington deliberates on plans for a lighter, more agile force. One of Marine Gen. James Jones’ first tasks after taking command of the 116,000-strong U.S. forces in Europe in January was to draft plans to transform the defensive Cold War military structure into a sleeker force able to deploy rapidly. Gen. Jones told The Associated Press in an interview that Europe would remain a significant forward base for global deployments. “Virtual presence is actual absence. You have to be there to make a difference. Nobody is talking about retreating to fortress America in this concept,” he added. (AP 121309 Sep 03)

IRAQ

• U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell responded to international pressure for a speedy transfer of power in Iraq with a warning on Sunday that rushing the handover would result in failure. “The worst thing that can happen is to push this process too quickly before the capacity for government is there and the basis for legitimacy is there, and see it fail,” he told a news conference during a visit to Baghdad. In Geneva over the weekend, the big international powers remained divided over Iraq’s political future. (Reuters 141732 GMT Sep 03)
  
  
• Secretary-General Robertson said Friday in Oslo that any NATO commitment to bolster U.S.-led forces in Iraq must have enough forces to succeed. After meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik in Oslo, Lord Robertson said NATO’s current activity in Iraq consisted of supporting Spanish and Polish forces. “That is something that has to be tested and monitored,” he said. Lord Robertson warned that NATO never deployed “half-heartedly,” adding “we cannot contemplate failure by the alliance.” The outgoing NATO leader said he reminded members to make available forces for deployment for “trouble spots wherever they are in the world.” (AP 121636 Sep 03)
  
  
• Defense Minister Struck said Sunday that Germany’s vocal opposition to the U.S.-led war on Iraq does not obligate the country to make concessions on post-war rebuilding. “We don’t have to offer the Americans any presents,” Peter Struck said in an interview on ZDF television. Struck said it appears “the Americans underestimated the situation after the war” but would not comment further on U.S. policy in Iraq. It would be “wrong to fall back into old confrontations,” he added. In other comments, he said that Germany had decided to expand the role of its peacekeepers in Afghanistan and send 450 of its troops to the northern province of Kunduz, though the measure still needs parliamentary approval. (AP 141506 Sep 03)

AFGHANISTAN

• NATO Secretary-General Robertson said on Friday that the alliance would be capable of a wider role in Afghanistan beyond the capital, but protecting its troops in Kabul remained the top priority. Lord Robertson said the urging of Washington and Berlin for a wider role in Afghanistan had prompted NATO to consider enlarging the mission. (Reuters 121555 GMT Sep 03)
  
  
• A few thousand extra Western troops are needed to extend security beyond Kabul to the rest of Afghanistan and prevent next year’s elections turning into a fiasco, the European Union’s special envoy said on Friday. Francesc Vendrell told reporters that the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force needed to take a robust approach to break the control of warlords outside the capital and help extend the authority of the central government. “A few thousand more ISAF would make a huge difference if they were properly deployed in Afghanistan,” said Vendrell, who will brief a joint meeting of NATO and EU ambassadors on Monday. (Reuters 121638 GMT Sep 03)