| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| US assessing possible military aid to Georgia |
| 2008-08-27 |
| WASHINGTON - U.S. military planners have begun pondering the thorny question of how Georgia's shattered armed forces might be rebuilt without provoking a Russian backlash that could risk direct confrontation with Moscow. With Russian tanks and troops still occupying parts of Georgia, U.S. officials have said openly that Washington will consider new military assistance for the former Soviet state turned Western ally that has staunchly supported the U.S. war on terrorism and aspires to NATO membership. U.S. Gen. John Craddock, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said during a recent visit to Tbilisi that Washington would probably provide military help. But defense officials have since steered away from the issue, instead emphasizing the Pentagon's humanitarian aid mission to Georgia. "Down the road we will be looking at what may be required to rebuild the Georgian military," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. "Right now, the mission of the United States military is to provide humanitarian assistance." U.S. military officials emphasized that the Georgian government has not yet requested military assistance and that any concrete U.S. planning could be a ways off. But one official said U.S. and Georgian officials have begun a dialogue about the country's potential military needs and that the U.S. side was awaiting a Georgian assessment of the damage sustained during the Russian onslaught. The U.S. Defense Department had about 130 people in Georgia to train its forces in counterinsurgency techniques for missions in Iraq when Russian armor and warplanes swept aside Georgia's military after the Aug. 8 invasion. Pentagon officials say the number of U.S. personnel has since fallen to about 100 but that military training ceased after the invasion as the U.S. focus shifted to aid. Analysts said the United States could help Georgia's military over time by providing shorter-range anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems that would not provoke Russia. U.S. assistance could also provide training in infantry tactics and small arms, as well as more modern equipment including body armor, they said. |
| Posted by:Steve White |