Category: NATOSource

NATO to consolidate air command operations at Ramstein

By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes

From John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes:  As part of a plan to consolidate its air command headquarters, NATO officials have decided to make Ramstein Air Base the hub for alliance missions that range from NATO’s air police operations to a growing missile defense program

U.S., NATO seek to clarify Panetta comments on ending Afghan mission

By Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post

From Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post:  U.S. and NATO officials struggled Thursday to clarify how long their troops would remain engaged in combat in Afghanistan, a day after Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said U.S. forces would shift toward a training and advisory role next year.

2013 ambiguity turns meeting of NATO defense ministers into ‘day of confusion’

By Elisabeth Bumiller, the New York Times

From Elisabeth Bumiller, the New York Times:  The top NATO official said Thursday that NATO forces in Afghanistan would move gradually from a combat to support role by 2014, but that combat would continue during that period and that NATO remained committed to the principle of “in together, out together.” The statement by Anders Fogh […]

NATO missile shield to be based in Germany: diplomat

By Deutsche Welle

‘Panetta may have triggered an unseemly rush for the exit’ from Afghanistan

By Clausewitz, the Economist

From Clausewitz, the Economist:  The secret NATO report on the Taliban leaked to the BBC is full of fascinating stuff, but it mostly confirms what was already known rather than shedding new light on the conflict in Afghanistan. The report, called “The State of the Taliban” and based on interrogations with more than 4,000 Taliban […]

Panetta: U.S. plans to end combat missions in Afghanistan in 2013

By Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post

From Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post:  The United States and NATO will seek to end their combat mission in Afghanistan next year and shift to a role of providing support and training to Afghan security forces

Panetta faces tough NATO meeting after budget shift

By David Alexander, Reuters

From David Alexander, Reuters:  The NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday comes a week after [Defense Secretary Leon] Panetta previewed a defense budget that calls for slashing American force numbers in Europe, part of a new U.S. military strategy that puts Asia and the Middle East as top priorities with Europe a lowly […]

NATO Plays Down Report of Collaboration Between Taliban and Pakistan

By Rod Nordland and Declan Walsh, the New York Times

French decision to accelerate exit causes some Afghans to question NATO

By Jon Stephenson, McClatchy

From Jon Stephenson, McClatchy:  The announcement by France last week that it would speed up the exit of its troops from Afghanistan has been greeted with a mixture of cynicism, disbelief and concern by politicians here. "It may have a bad impact on other NATO allies," said Shukria Barakzai, an Afghan parliamentarian and chairwoman of […]

Now Not the Time to Retreat from Europe

By Chad Manske, Global Post

From Chad Manske, Global Post:  Critics do not recognize that we have significantly reduced our forces and installations in Europe since the end of the Cold War. Of the 1.4 million current US military personnel, only 90,000 are in Europe, or about 6.4 percent.