Nato allies are poorly trained, says Pentagon
By David Blair, Diplomatic Editor and Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:26am GMT 17/01/2008
Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, expressed America's frustration with its European allies yesterday when he said that Nato troops in southern Afghanistan lacked the training and experience to fight the Taliban.
Britain contributes about 60 per cent of the non-American soldiers deployed in Afghanistan's six southern provinces, where the Taliban presence is strongest.
Mr Gates appeared to be critical of their performance - and of the ability of troops from seven other countries fighting in the south - in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
"I'm worried that we're deploying [military advisers] who are not properly trained and I'm worried we have some military forces that don't know how to do counter-insurgency operations," he said.
Mr Gates said most European armies were still trained for the Cold War.
"Most of the European forces, Nato forces, are not trained in counter-insurgency; they were trained for the Fulda Gap," he added, referring to the region of Germany where Soviet tanks were expected to invade.
He said he had received no support from Nato defence ministers when he raised the inadequacy of training during a meeting in Scotland last month.
The Ministry of Defence said it was assured by American officials that Mr Gates was not "in any way" referring to the British.
"The MoD was told that the British would certainly be last on the list if indeed he was criticising Nato countries," a Whitehall source said. "But it is self-evident that Nato does not have a history of counter-insurgency."
A source at Nato headquarters in Brussels said: "We accept that some members of the alliance are not trained in counter-insurgency warfare and a lot of it is 'training by doing' on the ground in Afghanistan.
"Not everyone has the expertise of the UK or US. We have also been assured that Secretary Gates was certainly not pointing the finger at any one nation."
Britain has 7,700 troops in Afghanistan, while Canada provides 1,700 soldiers and Holland 1,500.
American commanders are known to have reservations about the British approach.
In particular, they have been wary of Britain's willingness to make deals and hand over territory to former Taliban commanders.
America is sending 3,200 marines to southern Afghanistan to combat the insurgency.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... ato117.xml
Outrage as US accuses Britain of inexperience in Taleban conflict
Michael Evans: Defence Editor
Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, risked an unprecedented rift with Britain and other close allies after accusing Nato countries fighting in southern Afghanistan of lacking experience in counter-insurgency warfare.
Mr Gates said failings in the south were contributing to the rising violence in the fight against the Taleban.
His outspoken criticism, voiced in an interview with an American newspaper, provoked instant reactions from Britain, Canada and the Netherlands, the three most prominent members of the alliance, who have endured much of the fiercest fighting in southern Afghanistan.
The Dutch were so angry at what appeared to be direct criticism that they summoned the US Ambassador in The Hague to explain Mr Gates’s comments. British and Dutch officials refused to believe that the criticism was directed at them, but Eric Adelman, the US Assistant Secretary of Defence, nonetheless had to ring around Nato capitals to give reassurance that Mr Gates was not attacking any individual member.
Mr Gates was quoted as saying: “I’m worried we’re deploying [military advisers] that are not properly trained, and I’m worried we have some military forces that don’t know how to do counter-insurgency operations.”
As officials tried to smooth over the apparent rift, his comments drew a fierce response. Patrick Mercer, a Conservative MP and a former British Army officer, said they were “bloody outrageous”. He said: “I would beg the Americans to understand that we are their closest allies, and our men are bleeding and dying in large numbers.”
Britain has 7,800 troops in southern Afghanistan, where 81 have been killed. The Dutch and the Canadians have also lost a substantial number of soldiers in counter-insurgency operations against the Taleban.
One British official said: “The Pentagon was very swiftly on the phone to put Mr Gates’s words in context. He wasn’t having a go at us. There was no need to summon the US Ambassador because we were reassured that Mr Gates was referring to the history of Nato, not to the individual efforts of Nato members in southern Afghanistan.”
Canadian Foreign Ministry sources said that officials had been in touch with the Pentagon after Mr Gates’s comments had appeared in the newspaper. Last year Canada, which has 2,500 troops in Kandahar province in the south, was involved in one of the fiercest confrontations with Taleban forces in the Panjwayi district. Backed by American and other Nato forces, the Canadians defeated the Taleban and drove them out of the area.
Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, told The Times that Mr Gates “was not criticising any specific country. But he did want to make it clear that he believes Nato as an alliance has not redirected its training quickly or effectively to deal with asymmetric threats. Mr Gates has always praised British troops for their professionalism, courage and sacrifices.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 201002.ece[i]‘We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat’ - Queen Victoria, 1899[/i]
