The Aussies have had enough
Apparently, President Obama isn’t the only world leader exploring alternative policy options in Afghanistan. Some of America’s most stalwart allies have also been taking note of the U.S. president’s recent uncertainty. Australia, the largest non-NATO troop contributor in Afghanistan, has officially tasked its military leadership with devising an exit strategy. In an interview with ABC News, Australia’s national broadcasting service, Australia’s defense minister, Senator John Faulkner, said the Australian government is considering options to get its roughly 1,500 troops out of Afghanistan as early as possible:
“I’ve certainly asked the Australian Defence Force for any recommendations they have about ensuring we do complete that important role and responsibility both effectively, but in the shortest time frame possible.
I’ve been discussing these issues with the chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, and obviously it’s a critically important matter for me.”
In the interview, Faulkner also openly recognized the fact that his government’s decision would adversely affect General McChrystal’s recommendation for an Iraq-style troop surge into Afghanistan, though the niceties of alliance politics prevented him form elaborating in detail. Indeed, we don’t know what McChrystal’s assumptions about allied contributions are, but troops are troops, even with caveats. In any event, Faulkner’s announcement can be taken as a clear indication that the Australian government doesn’t intend to send any additional forces to Afghanistan beyond the 1,500 that are currently deployed. (Australia has confirmed that the 120 additional soldiers deployed to secure Afghanistan for the elections will remain there until after the presidential run-off between Hamid Karzai and his challenger Abdullah Abdullah next month.)
Though the defense minister assured a parliamentary committee that Australia wasn’t about to begin scaling down its troop numbers immediately, Faulkner’s comments make it plain that America’s Aussie allies may not stay the course much longer. This is another unfortunate but perhaps predictable results of President Obama’s tactics of wait-and-see: some of America’s strongest and most militarily capable allies in the fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan are questioning our commitment to the mission, and they don’t want to be left holding the bag.
