Posted on 09/01/2014 2:14:28 PM PDT by naturalman1975
AUSTRALIA will enter a historic partnership with NATO at the group’s summit in Wales this week, giving the Australian Defence Force greater access to the planning and decision-making of the world’s most powerful military alliance.
US President Barack Obama will officially name Australia an enhanced partner of the organisation, recognising the nation’s contribution to NATO operations, particularly Afghanistan, over the past decade.
The Australian can also reveal the Abbott government is considering increasing Australia’s long-term presence in Afghanistan with the potential deployment of 200 special forces troops amid worldwide concern about the collapse of security in Iraq after the withdrawal of the US-led forces.
Membership of NATO’s Enhanced Partnership Program will give Australia permanent access to the organisation’s planning at the earliest stages of future operations and ensure an Australian presence in its governing councils. Sweden, Finland, Jordan and Georgia will also become enhanced partners.
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Throughout the long NATO commitment in Afghanistan, Australia, which often had about 1500 troops in the country at any one time, was generally the largest non-NATO contributor and in fact was a larger contributor than all but a handful of the organisation’s nations. More than 26,000 Australian soldiers have served in Afghanistan.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.com.au ...
Should have done it right the first time. It’s impossible anyway, when collateral damage is the first consideration, so I don’t expect much from act 2 except more of our kids dead.
NATO ... North Atlantic ... help me out here ...
Austrailia has truly been a great ally over the years.
Welcome aboard,mates.
Australia is an outstanding ally,a vigorous (sorry,"vigourous") defender of freedom and Western values.The nation's history contains stories of a dastardly foe,Japan,having attacked a major city from bases very close to her territory.
I’m very inclined to agree with you. I am very divided on whether we should send troops back to that hell hole.
Not if they won’t actually let them do the job...and we know they won’t.
You’ve got to kill every damned thing in sight until they get the message. It is all they understand.
Too late you Down Under Pieces of $hit, we don’t need YOU, MATE!
Didn’t they get the news that Obama got Osama? Mission accomplished! He bragged to the UN and everything.
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