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Britain Blasts NATO Members Over Reluctance in Afghanistan

By ANDREW CHUTER, LONDON

British Parliamentarians have hit out over the continuing failure by some NATO member countries to provide troops for Afghanistan, saying it has undermined the credibility of the alliance and the International Security Assistance Force operations.

A report by the House of Commons defense committee on U.K. operations in Afghanistan released July 18 says it “remains deeply concerned” over the reluctance of some NATO members to provide troops for the mission.

The report also criticized the practice among some NATO countries of deploying troops to the country but placing restrictions on their use — effectively keeping them out of harm’s way.

“Progress has been made in reducing national caveats, but we remain concerned that national caveats risk impairing the effectiveness of the ISAF mission,” the committee said.

James Arbuthnot, the committee chairman, said in a statement that it was clear an international presence will be required in Afghanistan beyond 2009.

“If that commitment is to succeed, its size and strength must be very great, and in our view, considerably greater than the international community is at present willing to acknowledge, let alone to make,” he said.

Defense Secretary Des Browne agreed with the reports criticism of some NATO nations.

“NATO nations should do more to meet the shortfalls in requirements. The U.K. continues to lobby other nations to provide more in terms of military and nonmilitary resources,” he said in a statement.

The British have about 7,700 military personnel deployed in Afghanistan, mainly in the southern province of Helmand, where a fierce fight is underway with Taliban insurgents.
A July 16 report in the Daily Telegraph said the rate at which British front-line troops were being killed or seriously injured is close to passing that suffered during World War II.

“The casualty rate in the most dangerous regions of the country is approaching 10 percent. Senior officers fear it will ultimately pass the 11 percent experienced by British soldiers at the height of the conflict 60 years ago”, the newspaper said.

Ministry of Defence injury rates are officially 3 percent, but when the figures are applied to infantry battalions on the front line, that number increases to almost 10 percent, the media report says.

The defense committee also warned the British government that while it welcomed the additional commitment of helicopters to Afghanistan, U.K. rotorcraft operations were “not sustainable at the present intensity.”
“We recommend that the MoD make even greater efforts to increase the provision of appropriate helicopters to U.K. Forces and sufficient trained air and ground crew,” it said.

Arbuthnot said failure to do more on the helicopter front could undermine the entire British mission in Afghanistan.

“Our service personnel, not least our helicopter air and ground crews, are doing a great job in extremely demanding conditions,” he said. “But they are working to the limit and that cannot go on forever.”

Browne acknowledged that British helicopter forces were working hard and said the situation was being kept under review.

“We have already increased helicopter flying hours in theater and are deploying additional support, in the form of Sea Kings, in the autumn. In the medium term, we are increasing the number of helicopters available, including new Merlins and the conversion of existing Chinooks,” he said.

DefenseNews.com