Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

25 August 2004

AFGHANISTAN

• According to AFP, a military spokesman said in Kabul Wednesday that Afghan security forces, helped by NATO-led peacekeeping troops, seized nine suspected militants and a weapons cache after a raid near Kabul. The spokesman reportedly added that in addition to the substantial quantity of explosives, NDS (National Directorate of Security) also uncovered a large quantity of narcotics.
  
• NRC Handelsblad, Aug. 23, reported that 128 Dutch Air Force personnel, assisted by some 40 army troops, are on their way to Afghanistan to set up a PRT in Baghlan. It stressed that the aim of the PRTs is to increase stability in Afghanistan and reinforce the Afghan government. The main task of the Dutch service personnel, who are scheduled to remain in Baghlan for one year, will be to monitor the situation and to mediate in conflicts whenever possible. This task will be handled by three Military Observation and Liaison Teams (MOLT), each consisting of six to eight men, the newspaper said. In practice, it added, the Dutch troops are expected to operate, at least in the initial stage, in the area near the provincial capital, where their headquarters will be based. “If ever a MOLT team gets in trouble, there will also be a Quick Reaction Force to provide assistance. This force will be equipped with Patria armored vehicles,” the daily further said.
  

UNITED STATES-TROOP BASING

• According to the Stars and Stripes, the top two U.S. Army commands in Europe will be merged into a single rapidly deployable headquarters as part of an overhaul of U.S. forces overseas. The newspaper reports that in a message to troops and families throughout Europe, USAREUR Commander Gen. Bell wrote that V Corps, which led the assault into Iraq, and U.S. Army Europe, its parent command, will morph into one unit combining the functions of both headquarters. The newspaper notes that the announcement comes on the heals of President Bush’s decision to withdraw up to 70,000 troops from Europe and Korea.

  Amid continued high interest in President Bush’s decision, a commentary in the Washington Times writes: “America is throwing away the wedding ring after 55 years, known as the Emerald celebration. So spoke a prominent NATO statesman who did not wish to be named.” Insisting that America’s uniqueness as the world’s only superpower is its military presence abroad, not at home, the newspaper continues: “One former NATO supreme commander, not for attribution, said, ‘the timing of this thing is appalling. The Europeans see us in a withdrawal mode at a time when Iran and militant Islam appear to be on the roll in the Middle East.’” The newspaper claims that American commanders in Europe are baffled at an announcement about moves that are still a decade away.
  Another article in the same newspaper says the planned worldwide redeployment of U.S. troops has created an acute problem for Germany, which has benefited for decades from the largest concentration of American bases in Europe. “At stake are about 80,000 jobs. Mayors of towns near U.S. bases have appealed to Chancellor Schroeder to persuade Washington to change its mind. The German Foreign Ministry told the protesting mayors and regional chiefs that it was in contact with Washington and that ‘no definitive action has been taken,’ according to German sources,” the newspaper adds.
  The Guardian speculates meanwhile that Bush’s decision may bring an abrupt end to “Europe’s old doublethink on NATO.” A major withdrawal from Europe should prod the EU into coordinating its defense capability, without having to beg the U.S. for a transport plane to mount every tiny border peacekeeping operation, says the daily.
  

BALKANS

• Opponents of a bill giving more powers to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s ethnic Albanian minority are submitting a petition to force a referendum on the issue. They say they have collected 30,000 more than the 150,000 signatures required to trigger a vote, reported the BBC World Service. The program added that the authorities will now have to decide whether the petition is valid. It stressed that the move poses a serious threat to a 2001 accord that ended fighting between government forces and Albanian fighters.

OTHER NEWS

• According to Moscow’s Itar-TASS, the chief of Russia’s federal security service (FSP) public relations department said Wednesday no evidence had been found so far pointing to terrorism as the cause of the Tupolev-134 and Tupolev-154 plane crashes near Tula and Rostov Tuesday evening. Investigators were reportedly considering several possible reasons for the disasters. The main one was “illegal interference in the operation of civil aviation or abuse of aircraft operation rules.” A special commission had been created to investigate the crashes, the spokesman reportedly said. The dispatch adds that at the Domodedovo airport, employees and air technicians responsible for serving both planes were being questioned. Experts were analyzing the quality of fuel and lubricants and verifying observance of refueling procedures.