US Invites Indian Officers To STRATCOM

The United States has invited India to appoint military officers to liaison posts in the U.S. Strategic Command, or STRATCOM, its largest and most critical defense set-up mandated to control strategic nuclear assets, space and missile defense and global deterrence against weapons of mass destruction, India's Financial Express newspaper reported Tuesday.

STRATCOM, whose area of operation spans the globe, controls all U.S. nuclear delivery platforms, including ballistic missile submarines, B-52 strategic bombers, Minuteman-III intercontinental ballistic missiles and Tomahawk land attack systems. Having an Indian liaison officer on board will allow a more efficient link between Stratcom centers and India's relatively new Strategic Forces Command that controls Indian military nuclear assets, Financial Express said.

The possibility of posting Indian officers at STRATCOM headquarters in Nebraska first came up when U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld broached it with Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee on June 28, 2005, the day the new Indo-U.S. defense framework was signed. Nine months later, the offer is now formal, the newspaper said.

Is that the same Indian govt. that does not provide any support AT ALL for our efforts in Iraq or Afganistan??? NOT even humanitarian aid or doctors or medicines or tea or rice.... or even gadzooks, maybe a few soldiers. SHAME on INDIA.

http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/ambfeb092006.html

Afghanistan Has Made a Remarkable Transition
By David C. Mulford
U.S. Ambassador to India

This signed article appeared in the February 9, 2006 edition of The Times of India

Afghanistan's remarkable journey to democracy, which many thought impossible four years ago, was highlighted last week when India and the United States joined more than 60 governments in London to endorse the next stage in Afghanistan's development.

Confirming their support for the continuation of Afghanistan's historic transformation, this broad coalition of nations and international organizations committed $10.5 billion in assistance to Afghanistan for the next two years. India and the U.S. have been partners in this endeavor since the first days of Operation Enduring Freedom, and with the completion of the Bonn process and the focus on long-term development, India's crucial contributions have become widely recognized as of key importance.

Our two nations share the same goals for Afghanistan. We both want Afghanistan to succeed in becoming a peaceful, democratic country with good relations with all of its neighbors. We are both providing substantial assistance toward this end. In addition to the United States' contribution of over $10 billion since 2001, President Bush will ask our Congress for $1.1 billion in new assistance to support the Afghan people this year.

The United States remains firmly committed to building a stable and peaceful environment for the Afghan people to live their lives free of terrorism, and will continue to provide military support even as our partners from NATO take on greater responsibilities in securing the peace.

The Afghan people have demonstrated a strong desire for peace, democracy and development that deserves the sustained support of the international community. They have also welcomed the tremendous positive change that has taken place in their nation since the ouster of the Taliban and are optimistic about the future. A recent World Public Opinion poll shows that 83% of Afghans believe their country is heading in the right direction and 70% of Afghans recently polled by BBC say their own circumstances are improving. These significant statistics show that the reconstruction efforts are having a positive impact on the people of Afghanistan.

As Secretary Rice said last week, "The transformation of Afghanistan is remarkable but, of course, still incomplete. And it is essential that we all increase our support for the Afghan people." The international support for this transformation has been extensive and impressive. Dozens of countries are lending their expertise and resources to reconstruction.

India has been a vital partner in Afghanistan's reconstruction since 2001, committing assistance of $600 million to aid Afghanistan's development. India recognizes that while financial assistance is important, sharing its expertise is equally crucial in helping Afghanistan to stand on its own. Active contributions in areas such as the construction of important infrastructure, food assistance, educational scholarships, and special training programs for Afghan nationals, underline the key role that India has played in the renewal of Afghanistan.

During the four years since the United States and our coalition partners overthrew the Taliban, Afghanistan has made an astonishing recovery. The strong will of the Afghan people and the sustained commitment of the international community have united to build a country that is making real progress in democracy and in placing its people on the path to increased prosperity. IMF estimates of real GDP growth were 8 percent for 2004-05 and 14 percent for 2005-06. Sectors with the most active growth include construction, telecommunications and hotels/services. Exports are expected to reach $500 million in 2005-06. The Afghan government is actively working to improve its trade relations and develop energy and transportation corridors with its neighbors as it seeks to re-establish its centuries-old role as a "land bridge" between Central and South Asia.

In September Afghanistan conducted the most free elections in its history when it chose 351 men and women to represent all of its provinces, tribes and ethnic groups in the country's first democratically elected legislature in more than three decades. Confounding all predictions, the Afghan people turned out in large numbers to express their clear support for democracy and desire to participate in determining their nation's future.

India's role in supporting the Afghan people on this path to democracy has been critical, providing needed supplies and training to ensure the successful conduct of the 2004 and 2005 elections, and helping build capacity for the new representative Parliament. India's generous pledge to construct a new Parliament building, and its ongoing support to the newly elected legislators and Parliamentary staff, will serve as lasting symbols of India's contribution to Afghanistan's success.

The United States, India, and the international community continue to stand with President Hamid Karzai and the newly elected Afghan Parliament as they build a stable, prosperous, and democratic Afghanistan. The success of this week's donor's conference is a result of the ongoing transformation of Afghanistan from tyranny to democracy.

Challenges to this vision remain, including combating the corrosive and illegal narcotics trade. The amount of land under poppy cultivation declined significantly last year, but total opium yield remains high. Adoption of some basic investment and economic laws, and promulgation of standards and regulations will ease the economy from its dependence on opium as it grows in other areas. To further promote growth, Afghanistan still needs more roads, electrical power, water infrastructure, and other transportation services.

A democratic, peaceful Afghanistan will be a source of stability and an economic benefit to the entire South Asia region. Such a future is within reach provided that the international community continues to work closely with the government and people of Afghanistan. The success of the London Conference demonstrates the renewed commitment we all share to help Afghanistan build a bright future.

Indian para-military forces deployed in Afghanistan
URL: http://www.india-defence.com/reports/1320
Date: 7/2/2006
Agency: Press Trust of India
Topics: india afghanistan indian army military

New Delhi: Over two months after the killing of a Border Roads Organisation jawan and subsequent threats to some other Indians in Afghanistan, India is sending a large contingent of para-military forces, mainly commandos, to the war-torn country to ensure security of its nationals working there.

The central government has decided to send about 300 personnel of Indo-Tibetan Border Police to Afghanistan for security of the BRO personnel, working on construction of a highway in south of the country between Kandahar and Iran border, official sources told PTI in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Nearly 80 security personnel have already been dispatched and they have begun their duties, they said. The rest will be sent there shortly, the sources said, adding that training in this regard was being imparted to those detailed for the task.

A Commandant-rank officer is also likely be deputed to Afghanistan to oversee the security arrangements. Given the scenario in which protection has to be provided, the ITBP personnel deputed for the task are commandos, specially trained in proximate security, they said.

Till now, a minuscule ITBP contingent of about 20 personnel was posted in Kabul, mainly for protection of the Indian Embassy.

The decision to send the security personnel has been taken on the basis of a report submitted by a high-level team comprising officials of Ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs, which assessed the threat perception to Indians working in Afghanistan.

The officials had been sent to Afghanistan shortly after the abduction-and-killing of BRO driver M R Kutty at the hands of the Taliban and threats issued to many Indians, working on various developmental projects there.

36-year-old Kutty was abducted on November 20 along with two locals when he was traveling in Kandahar province in South Afghanistan. His body was found three days later dumped by the roadside. The killers of Kutty had left a slip asking BRO to wind up its operations in Afghanistan and leave the country.

Kutty was among the nearly 300 BRO personnel engaged in construction of a 218-km long highway between Delaram and Zaranj in Kandahar Province. Being built by India at a cost of $80 million (Rs 3.6 crore approximately), the road will link Afghanistan's Garland Highway to the Iran border and onwards to the Chahbahar port in Iran, providing a shorter route between Afghanistan and Iran and cutting the distance drastically by 1000 km.

Less than a month after Kutty's killing, Taliban issued death threats to 10 Indians, including doctors, working at various hospitals under a humanitarian aid programme.

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