Stars and Stripes
December 2, 2014
NATO sets up rapid-reaction force to assure allies in eastern Europe
By Slobodan Lekic
BRUSSELS: NATO on Tuesday established an initial rapid-reaction force that will serve to reassure allies in eastern Europe concerned about Russia’s intentions and to deter any threats against them, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.
Alliance foreign ministers meeting in Brussels are also scheduled to officially approve a new advisory mission for Afghanistan that will start operating on Jan. 1, after the departure of NATO combat forces.
Stoltenberg said the initial rapid-reaction unit, which will be stood up early next year, will be replaced in 2016 by a larger, permanent “spearhead force.”
“But we need to be ready in the meantime, (and) an interim spearhead force … will be available early next year to provide the quick-reaction capability we need, straight away,” he said.
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The rapid-reaction contingent, consisting of several hundred troops from Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, is intended to be an interim solution until NATO’s so-called Spearhead Force becomes operational. Current plans call for that to be a brigade-strength unit with 4,000-6,000 troops. The units are intended to provide assurances to countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, all of which have a common border with Russia.
After a meeting of NATO and Ukrainian officials earlier Tuesday, a joint statement was issued condemning Russia’s “deliberate destabilization” of eastern Ukraine, including providing tanks and weapons, and its military buildup in Crimea.
Stoltenberg said the alliance had set up several trust funds to help Ukraine improve its military capabilities in logistics, command and control, communications and cyberdefense. Funding will also be provided for the retraining of former soldiers and rehabilitation of wounded troops.
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Turning to Afghanistan, Stoltenberg said the new mission in that country, called Resolute Support, will commence on Jan. 1, the day the current NATO combat mission ends.
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NATO assumed responsibility for security in the country in August 2003. More than 3,400 NATO troops have died and more than 30,000 have been wounded.
For the new mission, Washington has already pledged nearly 10,000 troops — mainly trainers and advisers — and a contingent of anti-terrorism forces. NATO allies and partner nations are expected to contribute about 2,000 more advisers.
Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan’s new president, and Abdullah Abdullah, the Afghan Cabinet’s chief executive, were making their first visit to NATO since taking office in late September. NATO had hoped to welcome Afghanistan’s new leader at its summit in Wales in early September, but the election dispute between Ghani and Abdullah had not yet been resolved. The new administration immediately signed long-delayed security agreements with the United States and NATO designed to enable them to field the follow-on training and advisory mission.
The presence of Ghani and Abdullah at the NATO meeting “is a strong sign of the strong mutual commitment between NATO and Afghanistan … in the future,” Stoltenberg said.
In recent weeks, Taliban insurgents have conducted a series of attacks in Kabul and across the country in an apparent effort to undermine the security forces and demonstrate their continuing ability to prosecute the 13-year-old war.
Taliban leaders have vowed to continue fighting until all foreign troops have left the country.
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