Afstan, Canada and the US

Further to this post, "CF at Kandahar: Repositioning--and reinforcing (temporarily)?", several items:

1) The MND on reinforcing (note the CLARIFICATION):

...
MacKay also said that he is not committed to the idea of having upwards of 1,000 extra Canadian Forces troops in Afghanistan for the August presidential elections. A senior Forces general said the military is considering a number of options to provide additional security during national elections this summer when Taliban activity is expected to spike.

“As is always the case, the military are very prepared; they would look at a full range of options that we would be able to provide, particularly during this election period. No decision has been taken as of yet,” MacKay told reporters after the hearing.

*****

CLARIFICATION: This story, which was originally published online on Monday, reported that a senior general said an extension of the Afghan mission of some Canadian troops was being considered during the national election this summer. While the general said contingency plans were being considered to provide security during the campaign, he did not specify an extension of the current troop rotation was under review.

2) The US and Canada (AP story):

US grappling with Canada's exit from Afghanistan

OTTAWA -- Two weeks before Christmas, Canadian Master Cpl. Mike Trauner lay near death after a mortar exploded while he was on patrol in Afghanistan. He lost one leg below the knee, the other just above the knee, and his hand remains swollen with embedded shrapnel.

Trauner said he would like to be deployed again, yet it's doubtful that the 29-year-old from Sudbury, Ontario, will return to Afghanistan _ and not because of his injuries. The Canadian government plans to withdraw its combat troops by 2011, feeling the loss of more than 100 troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001. About 2,500 serve there now.

The looming absence of one of its closest allies has left the United States grappling with how to eliminate terror threats and government corruption in Afghanistan with its own troops already stretched thin from years in Iraq.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military officer, paid homage to Canada's fallen and praised the nation's Afghanistan mission during a daylong visit to Ottawa on Tuesday.

Mullen called Canadian combat forces in Afghanistan "absolutely critical" but said the issue of their withdrawal did not come up during his meetings.

"The Canadian force is a great armed force and a great combat force," Mullen told reporters at an Ottawa news conference with Canada's chief of defense staff, Gen. Walt Natynczyk. "And they've made a huge difference. In the fights that we're in, having partners like this is absolutely vital."

"But it is for the government of Canada to make that decision _ not for me or anybody in my country," Mullen said.

Canada is not the only country leaving. The Netherlands also will withdraw troops over the next two years. Last month, NATO commander Gen. John Craddock predicted the global financial crisis would force other nations to scale back in the costly war against al-Qaida and efforts to stabilize Afghanistan's government...

In remarks both in Ottawa and later Tuesday en route to Washington, Mullen seemed to keep open a possibility that Canada could change its mind about withdrawing its troops.

"2011 is a couple of years off," he told reporters aboard his military plane. "There's a lot that can happen. If in fact that's actually what gets executed, we're all going to have to adjust to that [emphasis added--I don't think the Canadian media reported that--more here]. They are a staunch ally, they've done exceptionally well in terms of providing the type of capability we need.

"And if that decision goes through, we're going to miss them," Mullen said.

Back in Ottawa, Natynczyk all but shut the door.

"The government of Canada has given me pretty clear guidance that our military mission will end in 2011," he said. "The focus is on the next few years in ensuring we can move the yardsticks and get progress."..

Maj.-Gen. (ret'd) Lewis MacKenzie has an idea for a future Canadian military role (note my Air Force interjection near the end at the link).

3) The US surge--and (unilateral) strategy review:

Obama team works to overhaul Afghanistan-Pakistan policy
The president is likely to decide on the details of a U.S. troop increase in Afghanistan in the coming days, Gates says.

The Obama administration plans to complete its overhaul of U.S. policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan by April, before a crucial NATO summit, the White House said Tuesday in announcing the new head of its review.

Before the reassessment is complete, President Obama is likely to decide on the details of a U.S. troop increase in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

"The president will have several options in front of him, and I think he will make those decisions probably in the course of the next few days [emphasis added]," Gates said.

Stepping up its efforts in the region, the administration announced that Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official and harsh critic of former President Bush's handling of the conflict in Afghanistan, will chair the White House review.

Now a scholar at the Brookings Institution, Riedel will report to Obama and to retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones Jr., the national security advisor. The White House review is one of several underway in the administration.

Riedel's assignment is to bring together the various strategy proposals.

Riedel last month accused Bush of a "halfhearted effort" in Afghanistan [read what he said here], and he supports plans to send additional troops, warning that both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are in a perilous state.

He also has urged stepped-up road construction and economic development, a position that could be at odds with recent Pentagon thinking. Gates has urged more modest U.S. goals in Afghanistan...

U.S. commanders have said they could send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan this year, nearly doubling the American contingent.

Gates has said that two brigades could be ready to go to Afghanistan by spring and a third by summer.

Riedel, in writings and interviews, has said southern Afghanistan is in chaos and the Taliban is encroaching on Kabul, the capital.

He has called Pakistan "the most dangerous country" in the world because it has nuclear weapons, allows havens for extremists and is a battleground for forces of "reactionary Islamic extremism."

Some military leaders have suggested talks with moderate Taliban groups, but Riedel has been skeptical about efforts at political compromise...

Still lots to hammer out for that strategy: how much emphasis on Afghan national governance/development? talking with which (if any) important Taliban types? what combat strategy and tactics for US forces? what to do about Pakistan? what to do about NATO?