Article

2010-08-02 Afghanistan

Dutch become 1st NATO member to quit Afghanistan

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Posted by Steve White 2010-08-02 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Yokay, I'll bite, NET > isn't diving up/surrendering early supposed to be FRANCE'S JOB!

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-08-02 00:11|| 2010-08-02 00:11|| Front Page Top

#2 I've seen comments from people I know who are currently deployed there to the effect of, a lot of the European troops might as well not be there to begin with, because they absorb our logistics but don't have ROE that let them make a difference.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2010-08-02 02:05|| 2010-08-02 02:05|| Front Page Top

#3 The Dutch, on the other hand, worked hard in their little corner of the region. I've a girlfriend who is just back from over there for six months as a civilian contractor, and she was very proud of what they accomplished... and frustrated her projects will not be continued. It sounds like the troops didn't want to leave.

Posted by trailing wife 2010-08-02 06:22|| 2010-08-02 06:22|| Front Page Top

#4 ...I've said this before, and it bears repeating: the 'Allies' - and now without even the qualified exception of the UK - shut down their militaries after '91 to the absolute minimum possible to avoid killing NATO. They have a few 'palace guard' units (although the UK still maintains some real military formations)but that's it. If we were to pull any more of our forces out and tell the Allies "Hey, you gotta defend Europe now," they would panic...because there's nothing there to do it with.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2010-08-02 08:25|| 2010-08-02 08:25|| Front Page Top

#5 A propos European self-defence, it's interesting how the missile shield is being viewed. From the [Irish] Independent:

A US MISSILE shield to deter an Iranian strike on southern Europe is on course to be activated as soon as next year amid growing gloom over international efforts to halt Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons programme.

As AFP (Agence France Presse] phrases it:

The United States is close to activating a missile shield over southern Europe as part of its effort to shore up regional defenses in the face of a missile threat from Iran.

Posted by trailing wife 2010-08-02 11:35|| 2010-08-02 11:35|| Front Page Top

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