CGSC C308A: Multinational Capabilities and Considerations Paper
SUBJECT: Operations in AFG
ISSUE. The State of multinational operations in Afghanistan after 2014.
Discussion. After 2014, will NATO continue in AFG or is it more likely to shift to a ‘Coalition of the willing’ and why?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, will have a continued presence in Afghanistan after 2014. Their presence will continue to cultivate the development of democratization and human rights, allay the fears of the Afghanistan people, and send a message to armed oppositions that Afghanistan will not be abandoned.
Provided that NATO and the international community do not prematurely pull out of Afghanistan, fail to provide necessary resources or continued training, the Afghan National Security Force, or ANSF, can effectively reduce Taliban influence over the region and reinserting themselves as a power in the country. The ANSF must be ready to assume the role of security for their country especially during drawdown and post-2014 time days. One way this can be accomplished is by “NATO transitioning from combat-centric to training with focus at the national level” (NATO, ISAF). A stable political transition to a successor regime in Afghanistan is also crucial to any successful outcome for NATO. In order to ensure this outcome, NATO and its international partners have proposed a broad ten year timeline for sustained engagement in Afghanistan, but this is contingent upon Afghanistan signing the Bilateral Security Agreement, or BSA, with the United States. According to the Washington Post “The BSA will basically “provide a legal framework for continued U.S. military operations in Afghanistan on a much smaller scale…[as well as] establish a training and counterterrorism force, which would continue to help strengthen Afghanistan’s own growing counterterrorism capabilities”. Although NATO began negotiations with the government of Afghanistan for a Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, which would provide a legal basis for international
ISSUE. The State of multinational operations in Afghanistan after 2014.
Discussion. After 2014, will NATO continue in AFG or is it more likely to shift to a ‘Coalition of the willing’ and why?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, will have a continued presence in Afghanistan after 2014. Their presence will continue to cultivate the development of democratization and human rights, allay the fears of the Afghanistan people, and send a message to armed oppositions that Afghanistan will not be abandoned.
Provided that NATO and the international community do not prematurely pull out of Afghanistan, fail to provide necessary resources or continued training, the Afghan National Security Force, or ANSF, can effectively reduce Taliban influence over the region and reinserting themselves as a power in the country. The ANSF must be ready to assume the role of security for their country especially during drawdown and post-2014 time days. One way this can be accomplished is by “NATO transitioning from combat-centric to training with focus at the national level” (NATO, ISAF). A stable political transition to a successor regime in Afghanistan is also crucial to any successful outcome for NATO. In order to ensure this outcome, NATO and its international partners have proposed a broad ten year timeline for sustained engagement in Afghanistan, but this is contingent upon Afghanistan signing the Bilateral Security Agreement, or BSA, with the United States. According to the Washington Post “The BSA will basically “provide a legal framework for continued U.S. military operations in Afghanistan on a much smaller scale…[as well as] establish a training and counterterrorism force, which would continue to help strengthen Afghanistan’s own growing counterterrorism capabilities”. Although NATO began negotiations with the government of Afghanistan for a Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, which would provide a legal basis for international
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