U.S. offers anti-bomb tools to allies

ISTANBUL — The United States
on Friday promised allies armored vehicles, jammers and other
technology meant to protect against roadside bombs, an offer that
officials hope will entice those nations to step up their contributions
to the international war effort in Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the U.S. would provide heavily armored Mine Resistant Ambushed
Protected trucks, known as MRAPs, to allies conducting operations in
violent areas of Afghanistan.

“They have saved thousands of limbs and lives in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Gates said. “The United States now will do whatever it can … and as soon as we can to provide surplus MRAPs to allies.”

The armored trucks being provided to NATO and other allies fighting in Afghanistan are the heavier, original models that were used in Iraq. With the troop drawdown there, the U.S. has surplus trucks that can be donated, loaned or sold to allies.

The U.S. is trying to step up production of a
lighter, off-road version of the MRAP, called the MATV. Those will not
be given to allies, because the U.S. still doesn’t have enough for its
own troops, U.S. officials said.

Gates said some of the original MRAPs would be sold
to allies and others loaned. He did not announce a precise size to the
program but said the cost to U.S. taxpayers would “not be gigantic.”

Overall, officials said the number of armored trucks to be provided was in the hundreds. There are 8,543 MRAPs in Iraq. An additional 2,224 are in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.

In Afghanistan there are 4,170 MRAPs. About 800 MATVs have been delivered to the Defense Department, and 407 of those have been fielded in Afghanistan.

In addition to the armored trucks, the U.S. will
provide route-clearing robots, ground-penetrating radar and other
mine-detection equipment. Officials also said the U.S. will send
experts to train allied troops before they deploy and will step up
intelligence sharing in Afghanistan, including access to classified databases that previously had been restricted.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the NATO secretary-general, said he hoped the offer would persuade countries to send more trainers.

The U.S. and NATO are seeking about 4,000
additional trainers to help with the Afghan mission. Most of the forces
would be used to mentor Afghan forces in the field, though around 1,300
would staff training centers and provide classroom instruction.

“Our efforts to counter IEDs are important. It is
the main killer of soldiers,” Rasmussen said, referring to improvised
explosive devices.

Officials have been pleased with some countries’ responses to the U.S. and NATO requests for help. Germany last week pledged about 850 additional troops, including about 500 trainers. Romania has pledged 600 additional troops.

“Everybody understands the centrality of trainers,”
said a senior U.S. official this week. “The strategic effort of 2010 is
to build up a credible Afghan national security force.”

But the recruitment effort was dealt a blow on Friday with France’s decision to send only a small number of additional troops. French Defense Herve Morin told reporters that France would provide 80 additional trainers for the Afghanistan war.

U.S. officials did not immediately comment on the
French announcement, saying only that during the formal meeting Morin
did not mention a specific number.

“Nothing has been communicated to us other than what we heard in Istanbul today, and that was a willingness to send additional forces,” a U.S. official said.

Gates is due to travel to Paris next week and may press President Nicolas Sarkozy to increase his pledge.

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(c) 2010, Tribune Co.

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