Former Chairman of NATO Military Committee and Chief of Staff of the German Federal Armed Forces, General (ret) Klaus Naumann—member of the International Advisory Board of the World Security Network Foundation—after his visit with the SACEUR in Afghanistan: "First priority is a clearer concept of reconstruction, a better coordination between NATO, the UN and NGOs and a still missing coherent campaign plan"

Former Chairman of NATO Military Committee and Chief of Staff of the German Federal Armed Forces, General (ret) Klaus Naumann in an exclusive interview with WSN president Hubertus Hoffmann on his Impressions from Afghanistan and What NATO Should Do Now.

Hubertus Hoffmann: You just returned from Afghanistan from a trip with NATO Saceur General Jones, what are your main findings?

Klaus Naumann: We maybe overburden the Afghan government and its people with our Western proposal of a central government, which this country has never had in its history before. Over centuries, there was always a competition between the rulers in Kabul and the local tribal areas. Now, the West, led by the United States, has imposed on Afghanistan a central government, which was made responsible for everything. If you ask them about their ideas of how to rebuild Afghanistan, you mostly get different vague ideas and nothing concrete. Our first priority: we now need a clearer concept of reconstruction; you need this for investments to build up the economy, to create jobs and create long-lasting stability—and a safer future for the government.

Issue number two is security: The good news is that two thirds of the country is more or less secure. The rest is still combat area to be made safer in order to attract investors into Afghanistan.

Priority number three is a better coordination between NATO, the UN and NGOs. A lot of aid is poured into the country, but it is not coordinated. There is still no coherent campaign plan. And NATO has been in Afghanistan for three years.

Hubertus Hoffmann: What can NATO do now?

Klaus Naumann: NATO is now at a crossroad. It has been asked to take over the operation “Enduring Freedom” from the Americans, but some elements of it should remain solely US organized. It will complicate command and control. Based on my experience, that will not work; it could create frictions and tensions as seen in the former Yugoslavia. There is a good tradition in the military, like the US Marine Corps puts it: “keep it short and simple !” The proposal now is neither simple nor a quick fix. NATO still has to do some homework. The NATO commander is asked to run the operations in Afghanistan without any reserves—a contradiction to all military experience.

NATO needs much more air transport capacities as well to redeploy its troop in that difficult terrain. The operational planning today is a little shaky. Maybe it is not wise to call Afghanistan the “test case” for the 21st century.

Hubertus Hoffmann: Which role does Pakistan and its secret service ISI play now? ...more