Posts Tagged ‘NATO’

His Excellency
Mr Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Secretary General to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NATO Headquarters
Brussels
26 February 2010
Excellency,
In the Strasbourg Declaration on Alliance Security, Heads of State and Government have stated that while deterrence remains a core element of our overall strategy, NATO will continue to play its part in reinforcing arms control and promoting nuclear and conventional disarmament [...]

NATO has again called on the Netherlands to stay on in Afghanistan in a military capacity, arguing that a complete pull-out would have “major political consequences”. NATO’s spokesman James Appathurai told Radio Netherlands on Friday that the impact could “not be underestimated” and that it would send a “worrying signal” to the Afghans. The alliance’s [...]

(The full text of a letter of NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, regarding a new Dutch mission in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan)
SG(2010)0069            04 February 2010
Prime Minister, dear Jan Peter
I am aware of the decision your government took in 2007 regarding the contribution of your country to ISAF. At [...]

The Dutch government has published the contents of a request by NATO to continue the Dutch military and civilian presence in the Afghan province of Uruzgan. For the full letter of the Secretary-General, click here.
The essentials:
- Another country will take over the Dutch role as ‘lead nation’ in Uruzgan on August 1st.
- During twelve months [...]

What exactly is the international community doing in Afghanistan? The answer to that question depends on whom you ask.
President Barack Obama has said that the U.S. goal in Afghanistan (and elsewhere) is to “disrupt, dismantle, and defeat” Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, including the Taliban movement. The Dutch government also has a 3 D approach, [...]

(Excerpts from an article which will be published later this month in ‘Atlantic Perspective’, a publication of the Netherlands Atlantic Association. Deleted texts are marked with (…). The full article will be available on-line later this month)
Afghanistan: The Patience Game
By Hans de Vreij
What exactly is the international community doing in Afghanistan? The answer to that [...]

De Verenigde Staten sturen 30.000 extra militairen naar Afghanistan. Dat heeft president Barack Obama woensdag gezegd in een toespraak tot de militaire academie West Point. Doel van de ’surge’ is de opmars van de Taliban een halt toe te roepen en het trainen van het Afghaanse leger en de politie te intensiveren. De extra troepen [...]

(Eisenhower Hall Theatre, United States Military Academy at West Point, West Point, New York)
Good evening. To the United States Corps of Cadets, to the men and women of our armed services, and to my fellow Americans: I want to speak to you tonight about our effort in Afghanistan – the nature of [...]

ISAF General Mart de Kruif (6th from the right) at Firebase Cobra
‘Spot the Green Beret’ is an easy chore at Firebase Cobra, a remote American outpost  in Oruzgan province, central Afghanistan.  The U.S. Army Special Forces (Airborne) soldiers invariably wear beards. This in contrast to clean-shaven Dutch Major General Mart de Kruif, the outgoing commander [...]

The Netherlands is coming under increased diplomatic pressure from the United States to remain committed to the international security effort in Afghanistan after August 1st, next year. On that date, the Dutch role as ‘lead nation’ in the central province of Uruzgan comes to an end.
The withdrawal of the estimated 1,300 troops from the [...]