Bush Reports to Congress on Scope of Force Deployments

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 14, 2007 - President Bush reported to Congress today on the scope of overseas deployments to support the war on terror, emphasizing that he'll direct additional measures as necessary to ensure the United States can protect its citizens and interests. The president described in letters to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, and Sen. Robert C. Byrd, the Senate's president pro tempore, the scope of ongoing operations he has authorized in the Central, Pacific, European and Southern Command areas. He also reported on U.S. forces supporting the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.

Bush cited deployments under way that support these missions:

-- Some 25,900 U.S. troops are serving in Afghanistan, with 15,180 of them assigned to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. The ISAF mission, authorized by the U.N. Security Council, includes 37 nations working together to support reconstruction and help the Afghan government extend its reach, Bush wrote.

-- About 159,529 U.S. troops are deployed to Iraq as part of Multinational Force Iraq, where they are helping to build the capability of Iraqi security forces and institutions. Bush noted that the number of troops assigned to this mission, being carried out in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolutions, fluctuates depending on commanders' assessment of conditions on the ground.

-- Combat-equipped and combat-support forces are deployed to Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, where they are conducting secure detention operations for enemy combatants. Bush noted that the United States continues to detain several hundred al Qaeda and Taliban fighters believed the pose a risk to the United States and its interests.

-- U.S. forces are operating in the Horn of Africa region to bolster friends and allies' counterterrorism capabilities, the president reported. Bush told Pelosi and Byrd this effort furthers U.S. efforts against "terrorists who pose a continuing and imminent threat to the United States, its friends and allies."

-- Additional U.S. servicemembers are conducting maritime interception operations on the high seas around the world in every geographic combatant commanders' areas of responsibility. Bush said these operations aim to stop the movement, arming or financing of international terrorists.

Bush told the Congress members he will deploy additional troops as required. "I will direct additional measures as necessary in the exercise of the U.S. right to self-defense and to protect U.S. citizens and interests," he said.

These measures could include short-notice deployments of special operations and other forces for sensitive operations throughout the world that Bush said can't be predicted. "It is not possible to know at this time the precise scope or the duration of the deployment of U.S. armed forces necessary to counter the terrorist threat to the United States," Bush wrote.

Meanwhile, the United States is contributing about 1,498 troops, or about 10 percent of the NATO-led Kosovo Force, the president reported. Operating in Kosovo's eastern region, the U.S. troops are focused on maintaining a safe and secure environment as they operate under NATO command and control and rules of engagement.

Bush noted the mission shift since a U.N. Security Council resolution established KFOR in 1999. Its original mission was to monitor, verify and, when necessary, enforce compliance with the military technical agreement between NATO and Serbia while maintaining security, he said.

Today, KFOR deters renewed hostilities as it works with local authorities and international police to maintain an environment in which the U.N. Mission in Kosovo can operate, he said.

Meanwhile, Bush signed a temporary spending bill today to keep the government open for another week until Congress passes longer-term funding legislation.

Speaking with reporters in the White House Rose Garden, the president said he's encouraged by signs that Congress is making headway in putting together a package that will fund the war in Iraq as well as federal programs.

He urged Congress to pass a one-year continuing resolution that doesn't include wasteful spending, tax hikes or timetables for troop withdrawals from Iraq. "And they must ensure that our troops on the front lines have the funds and resources they need to prevail," he said.

Navy, Army Secretaries Warn of Possible Furloughs, Constraints

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 14, 2007 - Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter and Army Secretary Pete Geren sent letters to installation commanders Dec. 12 telling them to prepare for possible furloughs due to a lack of funding for the global war on terror. The secretaries alerted commanders to prepare to scale down operations if necessary.

"Unless Congress provides supplemental funding for war-related operations, it will become necessary for you to furlough civilian employees at your base or installation," Winter wrote. "You must follow all applicable legal, regulatory, and labor relations contractual requirements pertaining to furloughs, including requirements for advance notification to those affected."

Winter directed Navy and Marine commanders to complete the detailed planning necessary to reduce operations at their facility and furlough certain employees if and when directed. He noted that no furloughs are authorized at this time.

He added that Marine Corps operations and maintenance funding likely is expected to remain sufficient until mid-March 2008.

"However, absent additional funding, you must be prepared to furlough employees paid directly by funds appropriated to Operation and Maintenance," he wrote. "That is why you must begin planning immediately. The Commandant of the Marine Corps will provide additional implementation information as it becomes available."

Winter vowed commitment to find a solution to the shortages. "I am personally committed to finding a solution to this problem," he said. "We will do everything within our power to manage this most difficult of circumstances, and I remain hopeful for a solution."

In his letter to Army commanders, Geren forecast that the Army's operations and maintenance budget has sufficient funds to continue full operations until mid- to late-February.

"In late November, (Gen. Richard A. Cody, Army vice chief of staff) asked that you prepare plans to reduce operations due to the absence of (global war on terror) funding. I appreciate your prompt and thoughtful attention to our request," Geren wrote. "Regrettably, our funding situation has not changed, so we must continue preparations for implementation of these plans."

Geren said commanders soon will receive specific guidance through human resources channels on furlough notification procedures and engagement with any bargaining entities that may act on behalf of affected employees. Only civilians paid directly by funds appropriated to the Army's operations and maintenance fund will be affected, he said.

The Army secretary said Cody will provide additional instructions on how to determine which employees are exempt from furlough. Geren said the standards for exemptions may not encompass the full breadth of employees identified as "mission essential" in contingency budget plans.

"I know you must have your full civilian workforce in place to accomplish your mission so we are taking these steps to implement a furlough as a last resort," he continued. "I am committed to finding a solution to this problem and remain hopeful we will do so."

In accordance with statutory provisions, the Defense Department is required to report potential furloughs within the Army, Marine Corps and combatant commands to Congress. The memoranda by Winter and Geren were issued in conjunction with a letter by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England sent Dec. 7 to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives.

"The furlough will negatively affect our ability to execute base operations and training activities," England wrote. "More importantly, it will affect the critical support our civilian employees provide to our warfighters -- support which is key to our current operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq."

England lamented the possibility that civilian furloughs and reduced military capabilities could result from budget shortfalls.

"While these actions will be detrimental to the nation, there are no other viable alternatives without additional Congressional funding," he said. "Your support in providing these needed funds would be greatly appreciated."

U.S. to Draft Integrated Plan for Afghan Help

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 14, 2007 - The United States will prepare an integrated plan to examine alliance goals in Afghanistan and set out a roadmap for allies to follow, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates spoke following a meeting with defense leaders from countries that provide troops to NATO's Regional Command South in Afghanistan. British Defense Minister Des Browne hosted the meeting at Craigiehall here.

The nations involved in the meeting were: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States. "There was a focus on taking specific actions and timelines," Gates said in an interview with reporters traveling with him. "We recognize that we are only part of the alliance, so all that we are doing we will feed in to Brussels to the larger full meetings of defense and foreign ministers after the New Year."

The United States will prepare an integrated plan for the NATO mission in Afghanistan looking ahead three to five years. "We want to start by acknowledging all of the successes that we have had and how much has changed for the better in Afghanistan," Gates said.

This includes progress in education, health care, governance, and training the Afghan army and police on.

Officials now are working to determine how the alliance should build on these successes, he said. "The integrated plan will address where we want to be in Afghanistan in three to five years and the different aspects of how we get there," Gates said.

The plan also will integrate "the aspects of reconstruction and development strategies with security and counternarcotics," he added.

The secretary said the defense ministers will meet again in the new year to discuss the U.S. proposal. "The ultimate hope being that this is embraced by the alliance as a whole and then endorsed by the heads of government when they meet in Bucharest," he said, referring to a NATO meeting in Romania scheduled for April 2-4.

The defense ministers also discussed a proposal focused on a similar proposal for Regional Command South. Led by the British, the proposal will set goals for the regional command and benchmarks in progress toward those goals, the secretary said. The alliance in RC South faces some of the most complicated security and civil problems in Afghanistan, Gates said.

In addition to the defense ministers meeting, representatives of the countries' foreign ministries also met. Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for policy, attended for the United States and briefed reporters following his meetings. "There was tremendous admiration for what the military is doing," Burns said.

The countries agreed that more needs to be done on the civilian side to complement progress made by the military. This effort is "now to be elevated and expanded and made as strategically purposeful as what we see on the military side," Burns said.

Countering the Taliban also means countering opium trafficking in the country. It means ending corruption and being more effective in humanitarian and economic relief. "We need to elevate that internationally, and there was a good bit of discussion about how we could do that," Burns said.

Gates said other discussions during the meeting were productive, as well. Countries with troops in RC South want to keep encouraging other allies to make a bigger contribution. "One of the things that we talked to today that will maybe help us move in a more productive direction is to think creatively about how we can create opportunities for those allies to do things in Afghanistan that comport with their political realities at home and at the same time provide relief for some of the things that we are doing," he said.

This could be providing more provincial reconstruction teams in secure areas, guarding facilities or paying for helicopters to be modified so they can operate in Afghanistan. The United States has had to provide a bridging force of helicopters that can operate at the high altitudes in southern Afghanistan.

This is one action where the RC South nations are going to ask NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to take the lead. "I think all of the allies are in Afghanistan in one way or the other, and so what we're looking at is how do we get some others to do more," Gates said. "And instead of pushing against political realities, see if we can find a way around them in a way that would allow them to play a more significant role."

Gates said he believes more needs to be done to share information, strategy and effective practices across Afghanistan. "My concern from the time I took this job is there isn't enough collaboration and sharing among all of the participants, not just NATO," Gates said. "It's important to remember that there are 42 countries in Afghanistan working to help the Afghan government.

"My concern was that there was no sharing of best practices, no sharing of what was working and not working," he continued. "I was worried about seams between both the regional commands and the provinces and how you bridge all of that and get people working on things."

Afghanistan needs an individual who can oversee civilian assistance to the country, who is above NATO, and can focus on coordinating civilian agency assistance, Gates said.

"There was general agreement (at the meeting) that the Taliban cannot win militarily," the secretary said.

The Taliban hold no population centers anywhere in the country. "The key is, how do we come in behind that with the kind of police support and reconstruction support that -- once we've driven (the Taliban) out -- keeps them out," he said.

U.S. NORTHCOM Directs Possible Storm Aid for Icy Midwest

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 14, 2007 - Active military elements are preparing to assist federal emergency responders to help beleaguered Midwest residents cope with the effects of recent massive ice storms, a senior U.S. military officer told Pentagon reporters here today. "In anticipation of requests for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the commander of U.S. Northern Command has ordered the deployment of U.S. Army North defense coordinating officers and a defense coordinating element to assist Midwest residents suffering from the heavy ice storms and extreme winter weather," Army Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock, the Joint Chiefs' director of operational planning, announced at a Pentagon news conference.

In recent days, thousands of citizens in eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri have been dealing with paralyzing ice storms that downed power lines and closed roads, schools, businesses and airports across the region. The Ohio Valley and the northeastern United States also have been hit by severe winter weather.

The military officers are being deployed to Denton, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo., Sherlock said. Their role, he explained, is to coordinate the use of all active-duty personnel and equipment that may be requested by FEMA as part of a potential storm-response effort.

National Guard members from Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma have been contributing generator-provided electricity, cots, water, debris removal, and door-to-door checks in rural regions, according to military reports.

The battered Midwest areas are bracing for another storm system predicted to arrive sometime today, according to news reports.

The 20 or so deployed officers "will be coordinating a federal response, should a federal response be asked for," Sherlock said, noting there has been no request for such assistance.

U.S. Army North is a component of NORTHCOM, which is the unified combatant command responsible for defending the homeland and providing defense support of civil authorities during natural disasters and other emergencies.