Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

04 February 2004

NATO

• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes that an enhanced NATO involvement in Afghanistan is to be the main topic at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Munich Friday. The newspaper claims it has learned that the number of (PRTs) is to be increased to up to 18, and that this was agreed in Brussels at ambassador level, in consultation with respective governments. The Eurocorps headquarters is planned to provide the force headquarters, the newspaper further says, adding that it is also planned to hand over to NATO the operational command for the combat against the remaining Al Qaeda groups in Afghanistan. The article notes that this will lead to a combination of Enduring Freedom and ISAF and asserts that within NATO, the augmentations required for this are estimated to be between 5,000 and 14,000 troops. The article further says it has learned that Afghanistan is to be divided into four or five regions, where the PRTs are to be distributed in such a way as to allow for a comprehensive control of the country. It continues: “In order to guarantee the security there, an additional military base will be set up in the regions, equipped with helicopters and a core force of 600 to 800 troops, in order to be able to quickly assist the teams in case of armed conflicts. NATO is to take over command and control of this operation…. The operational concept has been approved by the NATO Council, which made it possible to start the drafting of an operation plan. This plan will probably be presented to the NATO Council by mid-March. The purpose of the Munich meeting is for the ministers to again discuss and confirm the agreement achieved with the governments at working level.” Regarding Iraq, the newspaper claims that an informal consensus is emerging within NATO. It is aimed at officially placing the Iraq issue on the Alliance’s agenda already this month, after a final discussion of the Afghanistan planning. However, it is not being considered that NATO could take over the military or even the political command of the operation in Iraq from the U.S. The control of the part of Iraq currently controlled partly by the Polish and partly by the British is seen as the most appropriate form of participation. “If NATO’s military apparatus is to be tasked by the NATO Council to develop an Iraq concept before the end of this month, the Council could discuss the concept in March and task the military to plan the operation. Thus, at the meeting of NATO heads of state and government in Istanbul in June, the prerequisites would be given to take a common decision at the highest level about an operation in Iraq,” the newspaper further says. It adds that as far as the implementation of the planned schedule is concerned, it is considered possible that the NAC could approve the operational plan in September. In this case, the NATO operation in Iraq could begin by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. The article observes that for the first time in its history, the Munich Security Conference will be used as an opportunity for an informal meeting that will be attended by all NATO defense ministers.

CBRN

• Prague’s CTK, Feb. 3, reported that more than 30 military officials, representing most of the 13 countries participating in the CBRN battalion, had arrived in Liberec, the seat of the battalion’s staff, for a meeting on the unit’s operation and methods of command. The report noted that established on Dec. 1, 2003, the battalion comprises about 500 members from 11 European countries, the United States and Canada. “Exercises in late May and early June will show whether the battalion is ready for deployment,” stressed the report, adding that it will be ready for operation as of July 1, 2004, deployable anywhere in the world within five to 20 days.

UNITED STATES-TROOP BASING

• According to the Financial Times, diplomats said Tuesday the U.S is preparing to cut the number of troops stationed in Europe by up to a third. Washington will reportedly not establish new permanent bases in eastern Europe—allaying fears that the Pentagon was preparing to punish some countries of “old Europe” for their opposition to the war against Iraq. One NATO diplomat is quoted saying: “If anything, the troops taken out of Europe will be sent home. From there, they will be sent on exercises or training missions to small bases established on a temporary basis in Poland, Romania or Bulgaria. The old days of the giant U.S. barracks … are over.” Noting that diplomats said the Pentagon was set on creating highly flexible, small units that could be moved quickly to temporary bases, the article stresses that Gen. Jones wants to create these structures for NATO as well.