NATO Response Force Ready for Duty, Rumsfeld Says

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 27, 2004 -- NATO's rapid response force is up and ready for its first mission — possibly to support the upcoming Olympics in Athens or the national elections in Afghanistan, if requested, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told reporters here today.

Speaking at the NATO Istanbul Summit, Rumsfeld said the force, proposed by the United States just a year and a half ago, will fill a vital gap within the alliance. "The reality is that NATO is a military alliance that has no real relevance unless it has the ability to fairly rapidly deploy military capabilities," the secretary said. "And NATO did not have a NATO response force that could do that."

The force consists of air, ground, naval, special operations and other specialized units from NATO nations that can be tailored to specific missions, he explained. Missions could range "from peaceful, humanitarian-type assistance all the way up to full-fledged combat," Rumsfeld said.

In either case, these forces are "on a short string, ready to go," the secretary said.

Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the NATO Response Force a major part of NATO's effort to transform itself so it's more capable of responding to current threats. Myers said the force, which he expects will develop over time, provides "forces that are useable, deployable, and can meet various missions."

Myers said the force is made up of modular pieces that make it adaptable to whatever missions it's called on to support. If, for example, the Greek government requested NATO help at the upcoming Olympic games, Myers said the rapid response force's most-needed capability could conceivably be its chemical and biological decontamination units. "You don't need a bunch of infantry battalions," he said. "So it would be tailored to the task."

Rumsfeld said he's anxious to see the new force — already on its third six- month rotation — put into use. "Now the task is to use it," he said. "There's no use having it if you don't use it."

Biographies:
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers

Speaking at the NATO Istanbul Summit, Rumsfeld said the force, proposed by the United States just a year and a half ago, will fill a vital gap within the alliance.

Missions could range "from peaceful, humanitarian-type assistance all the way up to full-fledged combat," Rumsfeld said.

In either case, these forces are "on a short string, ready to go," the secretary said.

Rummy (good news), ping!

U.S. To Urge NATO Allies to Drop Use-of-Force Restrictions

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 27, 2004 – Nations' restrictions on what their forces can and can't do while conducting coalition or alliance missions reduces the commander's military effectiveness and may put some troops at unnecessary risk, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters here today.

The official, here for the NATO Istanbul Summit that begins June 28, said use of force by NATO troops is among the issues defense leaders are expected to discuss. While not expecting NATO to reach a concrete agreement, she said, the United States hopes the leaders will come to a general consensus that national restrictions on use of forces are counterproductive to NATO operations.

Once that consensus is reached, she said, the alliance will "ask these countries to go back and work with their parliaments and governments" to drop these restrictions "to make sure that if they are committing forces, they can use them."

The issue most recently came to light last March in Kosovo, where NATO forces were unable to quell violence and destruction at the church they were guarding. Due to their country's limitations on their use of force, the troops were practically helpless against a Kosovo Albanian mob that looted and burned the shrine. Seven people died, and dozens more were injured.

The defense official said national restrictions on their troops' activities does more than hamper NATO's effectiveness. "It also puts other troops in harm's way who have to be moved to fill in for countries that have so restricted their troops that they can't be responsive," she said. "So not only are you not being able to fulfill your mission, you could be endangering more of your fellow coalition partners."

These restrictions not only make forces weaker and more vulnerable, she said, but they also send out a message: "If you are a terrorist or you are looking to incite violence, don't go to the places where countries have robust command rules of engagement, but go to the ones where they can't do this and can't do this, and they might stay in their barracks."

The defense official told reporters national caveats about the use of force is a significant issue for NATO, but will become increasingly important as the alliance stands up its NATO Response Force.

"If you have a situation where the commander goes out and says, 'OK, we've got to go out, we've got this mission, but gee, this 'X' country can't do these three things, and 'Y' country can't do these five things,' it makes it impossible to be effective militarily," she said.

NATO Expected to Support Call to Help in Iraq

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 27, 2004 — The United States "is cautiously optimistic" that NATO will agree tomorrow to support Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's request for assistance, a senior defense official said here today.

Support for the new Iraqi government is expected to dominate discussions at the two-day NATO Istanbul Summit, which kicks off June 28.

Heads of state from NATO's 26 nations will discuss Allawi's request for help in bolstering Iraq's security forces to defeat terrorists he said "are determined to derail our political transition toward a stable democracy" and to reduce Iraq's reliance on foreign forces.

In a June 20 letter to NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Allawi urged NATO and the international community to help equip Iraq's security forces and provide in-country training and other technical assistance.

Acknowledging that his nation is "going through a very difficult period in its history" and that "our indigenous capabilities remain limited," Allawi said he is confident that with NATO's help, Iraq ultimately "will deliver a major setback to terrorism globally."

Allawi said Iraq is expediting the formation of its army as well as its international security and counter-terrorism capabilities. "We are determined to defeat the terrorists," he wrote.

A senior defense official said here today the United States "will be pressing hard for NATO allies to be responsive to the Iraqis' request for assistance."

"If at this summit we can show support as an alliance for the Iraqis, that will be a big plus," she said. "If the goal is to support a sovereign Iraq, then building up their capabilities is very meaningful."

Once alliance members make a political decision to support Iraq's request — something the United States expects on the summit's first day -- the task of coming up with options to carry it out will fall to military authorities, the official explained.

Iraq's call for NATO help was not unexpected. Earlier this month, the NATO secretary-general told the Centre of European Reform he didn't know when, or if, a sovereign and legitimate Iraqi government might request NATO assistance. But if the request did come, Scheffer said, the international community "simply cannot afford" to let Iraq fail. "I believe that, if both the U.N. and the Iraqi people call on NATO for help, the Atlantic Alliance cannot turn a blind eye," he said.

Sixteen NATO members have troops on the ground in Iraq, and NATO continues to support the Polish-led Multinational Division, Scheffer pointed out.

http://www.dod.mil/news/Jun2004/n06272004_2004062701.html

Speaking at the NATO Istanbul Summit, Rumsfeld said the force, proposed by the United States just a year and a half ago, will fill a vital gap within the alliance.

Missions could range "from peaceful, humanitarian-type assistance all the way up to full-fledged combat," Rumsfeld said.

In either case, these forces are "on a short string, ready to go," the secretary said.

__________________________________________________

Full-fledged Nato forces ping.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

NATO Response Force Ready for Duty, Rumsfeld Says

U.S. To Urge NATO Allies to Drop Use-of-Force Restrictions

NATO Expected to Support Call to Help in Iraq

HUH ?