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The Week in Review
By Lt Col P
My schedule doesn't permit me to blog during the day, so permit me, if you would, to post some things that came in over the transom this past week. And apologies to those who sent them, I wanted to get to them earlier.
From Damian at the Torch comes some commentary on Canada's new Minister of National Defence.
In the email he added, "Not sure if any of you guys would particularly care, since your nation doesn't engage in the political version of musical chairs known as the "cabinet shuffle," but Canada has a new Minister of National Defence (MND): the Honourable Peter MacKay. He moved over from Foreign Affairs (like going from SecState to SecDef), so he knows the Afghan file from the civvie side. No military experience, but not many pols in Canada have time in uniform. ... And he'll be getting good advice from the soldiers in charge - our Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is General Rick Hillier (who previously had an exchange stint as 2IC of III Armoured Corps in Ft. Hood) and he's the best CDS we've had in at least my lifetime..." Many thanks, Damian; I think this audience is very interested in what is going on north of the border.
Also re "Afstan," Agent 91 sent me an article, to which he appended, "Unbelievable!"
Germany refuses NATO request for helicopters in AfghanistanMedia: AFP
Byline: n/a
Date: 15 August 2007BERLIN, Aug 15, 2007 (AFP) - Germany has turned down a request fromNATO to send military transport helicopters to strife-torn southernAfghanistan, a spokesman for Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said on Wednesday.
"After studying a request from SACEUR (The Supreme Allied CommanderEurope), we decided that we could not comply with this request," thespokesman told a press conference.
He said Germany had already deployed six military helicopters in northern Afghanistan, where about 3,000 German troops are serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which along with US-led coalition troops is trying to support the Kabul government.
Sending helicopters to the south would have prevented those in thenorth from operating effectively, the spokesman said.
NATO made the request for the helicopters on July 30 to Germany, France, Greece, Spain and Turkey.
Germany has resisted pressure from NATO to send troops and equipment tothe south where the Taliban are fighting US-led forces.
It has however sent Tornado reconnaissance jets to assist NATO forces in the south.
Two German police officers and a German foreign ministry employee werekilled in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, when they were blownup in a bomb attack claimed by Taliban extremists. A fourth German was wounded in the bombing which produced Germany's biggest loss of life in Afghanistan since May.
Copyright 2007 Agence France-Presse
Six helicopters. SIX. HELICOPTERS. "We decided that we could not comply with this request." Couldn't or wouldn't, mein Herr?
Lastly, by way of the 10-8 Forums, comes a very good report from the NYPD on the homegrown radical Islamist threat. READ AND HEED.
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Comments
So, what are they doing with the other six which are available then?
Sounds more like "we can't be bothered" to me...
If not, it's pretty pathetic if out of a force of 20, only 6 can be fielded at any one time.
Germany appears to have conveniently forgotten that being a member-nation of NATO means complying with all the terms of the treaty.
Veritas et Fidelis Semper
Don't waste your time or breath on Germany. Just have an appreciation for the Canadian soldiers out there given the anti-American environment (yes, it does affect Canadians). They are out there in Afghanistan doing the real work while the germans play chicken shit...
Three cheers to to those guys out there!
As the the first commenter said. Also the Bundeswehr is horridly underfunded when it comes to maintenance.
Missing in this article:
First female, pregnant, german hostage in Afghanistan taken and subsequently rescued within 12 hours.
Captors were common criminals appearently.
Actually, this is all about the Canadians - since the criminally retarded government of Jean Chretien sold our Chinooks to the Dutch in the 1990s, Canada has NO heavy choppers at all. We have US Blackhawks providing medevac, but that's about it. It was deemed (correctly) too dangerous/useless to bring the POS Griffons (twin hueys) into Afstan. Of course, the current government has ordered new Chinooks, but you can't get them at the Drive-Thru. The Lieberals, now in opposition, had the utterly worthless Urjal Dosanjh criticize the gov't for not providing adequate equipment to the troops. I don't know whether to laugh, cry or shoot myself sometimes. Anyway, the request for German choppers originated with the Canadians.
I'm no fan of the Chretien gov't or the Liberals in general, Holdfast, since they did their fair share of gutting the Canadian military (starting with the EH-101 cancellation - we're STILL flying those Sea Slugs!). But in the efforts of both fairness and accuracy, it should be noted that the Mulroney Conservatives were the ones who made the decision to sell off our Chinooks to the Dutch.
And speaking of the underpowered Griffons, had you heard about the plan to arm them up as escorts for the Chinooks? Check this article for details:
Fair 'nuff - I recall it happened while I was in in the 1990s, but did not know it was pre-planned. Arming the Griffons is a joke - better to buy some old cobras and refurb.
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re the German helicopters: couldn't, as this seems to be not a political, but military decision...
Germany has decided to use only upgraded CH53's (offical designation is CH53 GS) in Afghanistan, equipped w/ chaffs and flares and the whole gadgetry to offer some protection against MANPADS. Of those choppers, the Germany army has 20, of which at any given time approx. 12 are available.... currently, six of those are based in northern Afghanistan, and they are needed for MedEvac and transport purposes in the RC North region.
Sure things could be better if Eurocopter were a bit faster turning out the NH90 helicopters the Bundeswehr has ordered...
Hope this clarifies it, mein Herr?