[Peace-discuss] "Obama hasn't done anything yet" (II)

[C. G. Estabrook]

	From The Times
	December 15, 2008
	Gordon Brown ready to defy Barack Obama over Afghanistan troop surge
	Sam Coates, Chief Political Correspondent,
	and Michael Evans, Defence Editor

Gordon Brown is considering rejecting an expected request from Barack Obama, the 
US President-elect, to send 2,000 more British troops to Afghanistan to join the 
surge of US forces confronting the Taleban.

Britain is expected to come under considerable pressure from Mr Obama when he 
becomes President in January to send another battle group of 1,500-2,000. 
Turning down such a request would open a rift between Britain and the US. 
British military chiefs have also been clamouring for reinforcements for the 
beleaguered troops in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.

Senior military officers have begun drawing up plans for boosting the British 
presence in southern Afghanistan to more than 10,000. Secret planning has been 
under way for some time to deploy another 2,000 troops, although the Ministry of 
Defence has previously denied reports that reinforcements were likely to be sent 
next year.

British officials fear that if Britain fails to send more troops, the US will 
take military control of Helmand and sideline the British. Under US surge plans 
to send 20,000 more soldiers next year, the Pentagon is planning to deploy 5,000 
into Helmand to join the British effort, and a further 5,000 into neighbouring 
southern provinces.

The British military, however, has made it clear that it is overstretched. 
“We're at the maximum of what Britain can do in the world,” one source said. Mr 
Brown, who spent Saturday in Afghanistan reviewing the state of the conflict, is 
being urged by advisers not to expand the force beyond the 8,400 troops now in 
place in Helmand province and in neighbouring Kandahar at a major airbase.

Mr Brown was given a bleak assessment of progress in the fight against the 
Taleban. He was told that there were still daily attacks at Musa Qala, in 
northern Helmand, which British and Afghan troops seized back from the Taleban. 
The rate of suicide bombings also remains high.

According to sources the Prime Minister is concerned about the potential cost of 
the extra deployment when government finances are so tight. Funding for the 
operation in Afghanistan has to come out of Treasury reserves. Mr Brown is also 
thought to be worried that public opinion might turn more strongly against the 
campaign if the number of casualties continues to rise.

Despite Mr Brown's apparent doubts about sending another 2,000 troops to 
Afghanistan, it has emerged that, without any announcement by the MoD, two 
companies of up to 300 troops were deployed in October to help to consolidate 
gains made against the Taleban in central Helmand.

The Prime Minister will confirm to the House of Commons today that approval had 
been given to send the two companies from the 2nd Battalion The Princess of 
Wales's Royal Regiment, which is stationed in Cyprus and acts as a theatre 
reserve battle group. They were sent soon after the Taleban launched an attack 
in October on Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand. The attack failed 
but an urgent call was made for more troops, raising the total British military 
presence to about 8,400.

Mr Brown revealed during the Queen's Speech that Britain was conducting its own 
review of strategy in Afghanistan. The US has made no formal request for more 
forces, and this is expected to happen only after Mr Obama becomes President. By 
publicising a much smaller increase in the number of troops now - an unusual 
move given that it is a military decision - Mr Brown will be hoping that Mr 
Obama will read the runes and not put public pressure on Britain to follow suit.

When asked about further British troop deployments next year in Kabul on 
Saturday, Mr Brown replied that nations other than Britain must bear the burden.

He will repeat this today when he makes a statement to the House of Commons 
about the redeployment of troops from Cyprus. Mr Brown is cautious about 
Britain's role in Afghanistan, continually emphasising that the job has become 
more difficult now that the Taleban have changed tactics and are concentrating 
on roadside bombings.

Officially the definition of success in Afghanistan for the British military is 
to protect and support the Afghan Government to the point where the citizens 
have more confidence in it than in the Taleban.

However, Mr Brown has made clear this weekend that he sees that his priority is 
different: breaking the “chain of terror” to protect Britain from attacks by 
terrorists who train in the border region straddling Afghanistan and Pakistan.

— Two former defence chiefs condemned the announcement last week of delays in 
the programmes to build two 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy 
and 3,000 armoured vehicles for the Army.

Admiral Lord Boyce, Chief of the Defence Staff in 2001-03, criticised the 
decisions announced by John Hutton, the Defence Secretary. “The security of our 
country is quite far from being a high priority for this Government and of this 
the men and women of our Armed Forces are painfully aware.”

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Craig of Radley, Chief of the Defence Staff 
from 1988 to 1991, said: “Shortages of funds forcing belated reductions, 
cancellations and delays in critically important defence programmes are 
inexcusable.”

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