NATO chief defends European role in Afghan war after criticism from US defense secretary
By APThursday, February 25, 2010
NATO chief defends European role in Afghan war
PALMA DE MALLORCA, Balearic Islands — NATO’s chief is defending Europe’s contribution to the international force in Afghanistan from criticism by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says European allies responded to President Barack Obama’s call for more troops and today account for 40 percent of the force of over 100,000 soldiers.
But he said Thursday the “growing discrepancy” between the United States and NATO’s European allies was a potential problem.
On Tuesday Gates criticized Europeans’ aversion to military force, calling it an “an impediment to achieving real security and lasting peace in the 21st century.”
U.S. 2010 defense spending of over $700 billion is almost 2.5 higher than the combined military budgets of NATO’s European allies.
