I’ve received a lot of good feedback on Afghanistan, including a series of comments and questions that center around how we will use the 37,000-troop uplift. Let me take a moment and share four quick thoughts that connect to a number of those questions.
First, I am very grateful to the nations that have contributed to this uplift. The entire NATO alliance and all our ISAF partners — 43 today with more coming — are committing themselves to success in Afghanistan. That is in and of itself a vital message to the people of Afghanistan AND to the Taliban that seek to overthrow the government and impose their tyranny on the population — which does NOT support them.
Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, IV, commander NATO Training Mission Afghanistan
Second, in terms of how we’ll use these new troops, a significant number will be focused on training. All security must be local, and we’ll be working very hard to train the Afghan Army and Police so they can ultimately take responsibility for their own nation. This will be challenging, but we’ve created a new NATO command – NATO Training Mission to Afghanistan – to lead it, and appointed Lt. Gen. Bill Caldwell, a superb general with a wealth of experience from service in Iraq, to command it. The new troops will also execute the strategy of protecting the Afghan people — putting them at the center of the equation. This is classic counterinsurgency. In order to foster a climate of success, we must focus on the Afghan people for without their support, it will be impossible to root out the Taliban and stop further support.
Third, I think the “next big thing” that must happen in Afghanistan is a better alignment between civilian and military efforts. Everyone on all sides is working hard, but we can work smarter if we do it together. There will be a major international conference in London early in 2010 to discuss how to improve the interagency and military partnering. I’m confident the international policy makers involved will create the right structure to bring civil and military efforts together smoothly. We are truly “stronger together.”
ISAF troops meet with local police and education officials in Chapahar District
Fourth, all of us involved in this undertaking have an obligation to do what I’m doing right now: communicate. We need to explain to the people of Afghanistan what we are doing and why. We have to put them first, and we must convince them to stand with us. Equally important, we need to communicate to the populations of each nation supporting ISAF what our approach is all about and why we think it is the right strategy to move forward. We must earn our allies’ and partners’ support with good actions and credible communication. And finally, we must communicate to the Taliban themselves, and their allies, al-Qaeda, that we have the courage, the capacity, and the resolve to succeed in Afghanistan — which I firmly believe we will.
Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Tuesday, 15. December 2009
WRT – distribution of effort between training the AFghan army or the domestic police I suggest we focus on police. They may be corrupt or incompetent in part because they are paid less than the army however, they are on ground in communities familiar with local players, speak the dialects. Culture being what it is, an army should still be focused on external threats while a policing force is still primarily focused on internal threats. A policing focus will help to engage a local population and could contribute to domestic security. An additional feature would be to enhance policing swat performance.
Kind regards, Wm
Tuesday, 26. January 2010
There is a big online brainstorming session with the EU and NATO on the 4th until the 9th of February, where people can log in and talk directly to senior figures.
Register at http://www.securityjam.org
Here are some more details:
The online Security Jam – a chance to pitch some ideas to the top
You may not be able to pick up the phone and call the head of NATO or the European Commission, but at the beginning of next month you’ll have your chance to do the next best thing – and pitch your ideas – when you log on to the online brainstorm session, the Security Jam that’s being held online from 4th to 9th February.
Even better, the Security Jam will give you wider opportunity to make your voice heard – because not only will senior VIPs from NATO, the European Commission and host of major stakeholders be talking it up online, but you’ll also be able to share your ideas and security concerns with literally thousands of participants who, like you, will be contributing to a wide range of security-related discussions.
Climate Change, Human Rights and Development will be key topics, as well as core security areas such as Crisis Management, Piracy, Afghanistan, Relations with Russia & China etc…
Discussions will be moderated by key individuals, and there will be a guaranteed online presence of senior VIP figures such as:
• Ambassador Kai Eide, United Nations Special Representative to Afghanistan
• Carl Bildt, Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister
• Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme
• José Manuel Barroso*, European Commission President
• General Håkan Syrén, Chairman of the European Union Military Committee
• Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, Chairman of the Military Committee, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
• Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Former NATO Secretary General
• Ambassador Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
• Paul Collier, Professor at Oxford University, author of ‘The Bottom Billion’
• Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, Commander of the Joint Force Command Naples & US Naval Forces in Europe
• Mark Pyman, Director of the International Defence and Security Programme at Transparency International
• Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch
• Miroslav Lajcák, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister
• Fernando Perpiñá-Robert Peyra, Secretary General of the Club of Madrid, member of the NATO Group of Experts on new Strategic Concept
• Mark Laity, Chief for Strategic Communications, NATO (SHAPE)
• General Henry Anyidoho*, Acting Joint African Union – United Nations Special Representative for Darfur
• Wahu Kaara, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Kenyan Social Justice Activist and Former Ecumenical Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals
• Jacqueline McGlade, Director of the European Environment Agency (EEA)
• Anders Fogh Rasmussen*, NATO Secretary General
*to be confirmed
And the results? The best and most practicable ideas for improving global security will be put forward as important contributions to the new strategic concepts being prepared by NATO and the EU, both of which are official supporters of this highly original event.
How to get involved?
Registration to the Jam is mandatory, see online at http://www.securityjam.org
Just register online, and you’ll get your 5-day pass to log on and log off the jam at your convenience. The programme will be published before the event and updated during it, so all you need to do is check the website to see who’s on and at what time.