Category: NATOSource

German Defense Minister Proposal Would Reduce Military Size

By Shant Shahrigian, VOANews.com: Germany’s defense minister has proposed shrinking the country’s military and effectively ending the draft.  The move would dramatically transform the third biggest member of the NATO coalition in Afghanistan.

2008 Attack on CENTCOM Computers Is Confirmed

By Brian Knowlton, the New York Times

From Brian Knowlton, the New York Times:  A top Pentagon official has confirmed a previously classified incident that he describes as “the most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever

Afghan Officials Back Conway: Withdrawal Date “Invigorates” Taliban

By Hamid Shalizi, Reuters: U.S. plans to begin drawing down forces in Afghanistan from next July are "invigorating" insurgents, Afghan officials said on Wednesday, agreeing with a blunt assessment given by the top U.S. Marine.

NATO Supply Route to Afghanistan Disrupted by Pakistan Floods

By Rob Crilly, Telegraph (UK): Pakistan transport officials said long lines of trucks with food, fuel and equipment for troops were caught up in a 30-mile tailback on the main highway from Karachi to Islamabad as floodwater in the south of the country had reduced traffic to single file.

More Helicopters Needed for Pakistan Relief Efforts

By The Hindu

From The Hindu: With eight lakh people still stranded in areas cut-off from land routes across the country, the UN on Tuesday night issued an urgent appeal for 40 additional heavy-lift helicopters. This SOS came amid reports of the Pakistan Army pulling out some helicopters from the ongoing operations against militants in the tribal agencies […]

Marines Chief: Withdrawal Date Encourages Enemies

By Phil Stewart and Sue Pleming, Reuters

From Phil Stewart and Sue Pleming, Reuters: President Barack Obama‘s July 2011 date to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan has given a morale boost to Taliban insurgents, who believe they can wait out NATO forces, the top U.S. Marine said on Tuesday.

Petraeus: July 2011 deadline not the start of sudden troop exodus from Afghanistan

By David Stringer, the AP

From David Stringer, the AP:  In an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. television, Army Gen. David Petraeus urged caution over hopes for the planned pullback of American troops, which is scheduled to begin in July 2011.

Defence chief urges end to German conscription

By Gerrit Wiesmann, the Financial Times

From Gerrit Wiesmann, the Financial Times:   The German government is trying to cut its defence budget by ending national service and cutting the army by a third to 165,000 troops. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, the defence minister, urged an end to conscription as he briefed colleagues about cutting €8.3bn ($10.5bn) from planned defence spending by 2014, according […]

Ankara tells US it won’t adhere to new sanctions on Iran

By Zaman

From Zaman:  Turkish officials have told an American delegation that it has no intention of following unilateral US sanctions on Iran, a move likely to deepen a rift between the two NATO allies over the Islamic republic’s contentious nuclear program that Washington believes is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Turkish and American officials have confirmed […]

Trained Afghan Security Force More Than One Year Off

By Anne Flaherty, AP

From Anne Flaherty, AP: A senior U.S. commander says Afghanistan is still more than a year away from building a security force with enough soldiers and police to protect the country. Lt. Gen. Bill Caldwell, who heads NATO’s training mission, said that because Afghanistan was still scrambling to recruit and train its security forces, he […]