19 February 2009

Defense Secretary Gates Reflects on the Changing Nature of NATO

United States signs military cooperation agreement with Poland

British Defense Secretary Hutton, left, and Defense Secretary Gates at a NATO meeting in Krakow, Poland

By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington — The United States believes that its NATO allies can make a significant, longer-term contribution in Afghanistan on the civilian side while U.S. forces work on strengthening the military side, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says.

“Frankly, I hope that it may be easier for our allies to do that than significant troop increases, especially for the longer term,” Gates said before arriving February 18 in Krakow, Poland, for an informal meeting of NATO defense ministers.

The two-day NATO meeting was expected to focus on an array of security issues, including the current course in Afghanistan and preparations for the upcoming 60th anniversary summit in April. “It's a full agenda.  We've got meetings of both the NATO-Ukraine Commission and the NATO-Georgia Commission,” Gates said.

Gates said the defense ministers are evaluating capabilities on the proposed strategic aviation initiative, the allied ground surveillance system and British-French helicopter initiative.  The ministers also are expected to discuss at length plans for the NATO rapid response force.

Gates signed a new military cooperation agreement February 19 that formalizes the U.S.-Polish partnership to help modernize the Polish military. The U.S. and Polish special operations forces are already working closely in training and operations, but this new agreement expands and deepens those ties, he said.

Currently, the U.S. Special Operations Command has partnerships with five countries: Australia, Britain, Canada, Jordan and Poland, but only Poland has a formal memorandum of understanding.

In Afghanistan, Gates said, the new increase in U.S. ground forces will allow forces to remain in the field and help protect the general Afghan population in a better way than before.  “I think that these additional numbers give us a better chance to provide the kind of security for the population that is necessary, frankly, for economic development and for governance to take hold and so on,” he said.

President Obama announced February 17 that he is sending an additional 17,000 U.S. Army troops and Marines to Afghanistan in coming months, bringing the U.S. commitment to approximately 55,000 troops. (See “Obama Orders First New Troops to Afghanistan.”)

Gates said the United States would like to see NATO commit its rapid response force for a short-term deployment to Afghanistan. The force has not been used before.

“The message is that it is a new administration, and the administration is prepared — as the president's decision made clear [February 17] — to make additional commitments to Afghanistan, but there clearly will be expectations that the allies must do more as well,” Gates said.  “I think this was the vice president's [Vice President Biden] message in Munich, and it basically will be my message in Krakow.”

What foreign affairs actions should President Obama consider?  Comment on America.gov's blog.