Article

2007-12-20 Afghanistan

Dutch troops to quit Afghanistan in 2010

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Posted by Fred 2007-12-20 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top
File under: Taliban

#1 Leave one airfield (RAF Mildenhall?), RAF Molesworth, and the joint coordinating effort in London in England; Ramstein AB, Landstuhl Army barracks, and a mechanized brigade at Graffenwoehr; Aviano AB and Naples Naval Base in Italy, and a half-dozen installations (if possible) from the Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, and Bulgarians. Pull EVERYTHING ELSE out. Give NATO a five-year notice that they have to have equal forces (both in manpower and equipment) to deployable US forces, or we pull out of NATO. Watch the slippery brown stuff hit the air circulation device.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2007-12-20 00:42|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2007-12-20 00:42|| Front Page Top

#2 Might want to keep Rota, too, so as to have airfields all along the Med. Gibraltar grows ever more croweded.

Posted by Rory B. Bellows 2007-12-20 09:00|| 2007-12-20 09:00|| Front Page Top

#3 And I really feel that the Dutch have pulled their weight. It's some of the other NATO countries that ought to step up.

Posted by Rory B. Bellows 2007-12-20 09:02|| 2007-12-20 09:02|| Front Page Top

#4 The Dutch have done more than their share. The NATO "partners" I'm frustrated with are Belgium, Germany ("we'll deploy, but we won't fight"), Italy (their current "leadership" is worse than Harry Reid), Spain ("cut and run"), Portugal, Greece, and Norway. Great Britain has also contributed heavily, but their "new leadership" is another set of cowards. Canada has stepped up and proven to be a real partner, and their contribution is greatly appreciated. Iceland doesn't have anything to contribute to battles in Afghanistan or Iraq.

The new NATO countries - Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, et al., have contributed more than most of the "traditional" NATO countries. What I'm REALLY pissed about is most of NATO's attitude that they US is REQUIRED to protect them, at no cost to them.

The only "base" we ever had in the Netherlands was an ammo storage facility that was closed during the 1990's.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2007-12-20 11:55|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2007-12-20 11:55|| Front Page Top

#5 The Dutch have pulled their weight but they are still guilty for their weight being so small: ie gfor underfunding, undersizing their military who now can do little when needed.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2007-12-20 12:31|| 2007-12-20 12:31|| Front Page Top

#6 Norway and the Dutch have been punching above their weight. I remind you of the "this didn't happen" training mission where the Dutch pilots flew and dropped a training munition (concrete blivet) on a dime to rescue some allies that were pinned, in spite of RoE that forbid them from engaging in "combat".

Posted by OldSpook 2007-12-20 13:19|| 2007-12-20 13:19|| Front Page Top

#7 And they are a small country: about 16 million people, size = 2 x New Jersey.

OP - The army just announced that 2 divisions currently in Germany are being rebased to the US over the next few years, with brigade combat teams replacing them. The drawdown / withdrawl is already under way.

Posted by lotp 2007-12-20 13:48|| 2007-12-20 13:48|| Front Page Top

#8 Specifically, the 1st AD is moving to Ft. Bliss and the 1st ID is moving to Ft Riley and Ft Knox, all by 2011.

Posted by lotp 2007-12-20 13:51|| 2007-12-20 13:51|| Front Page Top

#9 And they are a small country: about 16 million people

hah?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2007-12-20 19:58|| 2007-12-20 19:58|| Front Page Top

#10 If the papers were on our side the headline would have read:

Dutch Troops To Stay in Afghanistan until 2010.

Posted by Whomong Guelph4611 2007-12-20 20:45|| 2007-12-20 20:45|| Front Page Top

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