Posted on 12/26/2006 4:08:07 PM PST by lizol
NATO request for German jets in Afghanistan strains coalition in Berlin.
Request for Tornados in Afghanistan adds to strain on coalition
By Judy Dempsey Published: December 22, 2006
BERLIN: Already faced with a challenging foreign policy agenda when it takes over the helm of the European Union and the G-8 presidency on Jan. 1, Germany's coalition government hit an obstacle Friday over a request by NATO to supply fighter jets to help the American-led military alliance contain a growing Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan.
General John Reith, deputy commander of NATO forces in Europe, sent an official request to the German Defense Ministry on Dec. 11 asking it to provide six Tornado fighters and 250 personnel, including pilots, maintenance workers and other personnel.
The request followed repeated refusals by Germany to send troops to the south, saying it was already providing security and stability to northern Afghanistan, where it has deployed 2,700 troops.
The German defense minister, Franz Josef Jung, signaled this past week that he would respond positively to the request, even though any major change in the role of German forces in international peacekeeping missions would require a parliamentary debate and vote.
Eckart von Klaeden, a foreign policy spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats, said no new approval for sending the planes was necessary because such a deployment was already covered by the original parliamentary mandate to send forces to Afghanistan.
"It is not a political decision," von Klaeden told the Neue Presse daily newspaper. "It should be decided at the military level."
But Thomas Kossendey, a conservative junior state secretary for defense, said the approval of Parliament was needed.
"Such decision should not be made without Parliament," he told the daily Nordwest-Zeitung.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
"a growing Taliban insurgency"
After five years of warring against the Taliban insurgency, it's growing? Maybe we should stop fighting the War on Drugs by destroying half the Afghan economy and just fight the War on Terrorism.
German forces have been in Afghanistan since December of 2001, and until recently (if not currently) commanded the northern sector of the country. Please try to read up, the war's been going on long enough that you have no excuse.
Yeah, they've been there. A huge contingent, no? And their contributions compared to the size and wealth of their country are also huge. But let's be grateful, after all. They spend about 1% of their GNP on national defense, and kept hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the US during the Cold War so that the Soviets would not invade.
That's the spirit! Complain, complain, complain. Complain when the Germans help, and complain when they don't. When they get tired of hearing you complain, and quit helping altogether, complain even more loudly.
I could put up with Germany better if they didn't run around talking about how, in the north, they do a much better job of connecting to the local populace than the heavy handed Americans along the Pakistan border.
Of course, the Taliban has always been nearly non-existent in the north...
Germany's 'help' is microscopic.
I'm consistent. I've never truly complained when they've really helped. It's when they've loafed or benefited from the sacrifice of others, and been, frankly rude towards US forces in Germany, something I've witnessed many times, that I've felt they're the ingrates. But hey, if they'll help a bit, we should not complain. They're doing the best they can.
Don't say that. They may do less to get even. ;-)
You know, I keep asking this question but never get a straight answer. Do you think our troops think their help is "microscopic?" And if so, do you think our troops think the life of a German soldier is cheap? Under what circumstances is the life of any soldier cheap? When am internet bulletin-board "expert" says so?
They've been rude to you? LOL Why am I not surprised?
I didn't say they'd been rude to me. And your screen name may be a hint as to why you're not surprised.
You're right. The Germans are doing plenty; they're definitely carrying their weight punching above their weight.
Oh, I see. You've only "witnessed [it] many times." As a detached and completely objective observer, no doubt.
You're the expert.
As an Afghan vet I can most certainly say that the most dangerous road in Afghanistan is the path between the PX and your typical German "soldier."
Make no mistake about it, we are the ones doing the heavy lifting out there and the Euros are enjoying all the benefits like paved streets, hot water, regular meals and phones that work.
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