NATO Ministers Endorse McChrystal Plan for Broader Afghan Strategy
David Sessions
Washington Reporter
Posted:
10/23/09
NATO defense ministers meeting Friday in Bratislava, Slovakia, endorsed U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal's counterinsurgency plan for Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. The approval increases pressure on President Obama and the ministers' governments to commit more troops and resources to the conflict.
McChrystal's plan calls for a "full-scale" counterinsurgency strategy that would focus on protecting Afghan population centers from attacks and hasten the training of the Afghan army, both of which would require a significant increase in military personnel. The NATO ministers did not formally commit to sending more troops, but tacitly acknowledged that a narrower counterinsurgency plan like the one endorsed by Vice President Joe Biden is unlikely to succeed. They will meet again next month to make a decision about troop increases.
McChrystal's plan calls for a "full-scale" counterinsurgency strategy that would focus on protecting Afghan population centers from attacks and hasten the training of the Afghan army, both of which would require a significant increase in military personnel. The NATO ministers did not formally commit to sending more troops, but tacitly acknowledged that a narrower counterinsurgency plan like the one endorsed by Vice President Joe Biden is unlikely to succeed. They will meet again next month to make a decision about troop increases.