From Defense Aerospace

 

U.S. Postpones Defense Meetings with Pakistan

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Nov 5, 2007)

 

BEIJING --- The United States is watching the developing situation in Pakistan closely and will review all assistance programs to the country, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.

 

“Pakistan is a country of great strategic importance to the United States and a key partner in the war on terror,” the secretary said during a news conference at the Chinese Ministry of National Defense. Gates spoke after meeting with Chinese Minister of National Defense Gen. Cao Gangchuan.

 

Gates said the United States urges Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to return his country to “law-based, constitutional and democratic rule as soon as possible.”

 

The review of defense assistance will be “mindful to not undermine on-going counterterrorism efforts.”

 

The United States will postpone bilateral defense consultative meeting with Pakistan, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today.

 

“In light of President Musharraf’s declaration it was thought wise to postpone this meeting until such time that all parties can focus on the very important issues at hand that they have to discuss,” Morrell said.

 

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman was set to head the U.S. delegation to the meetings in Islamabad, which were scheduled for Nov. 6-7. Morrell emphasized that the consultative talks were postponed and not canceled.

 

Morrell said that no military operations in Afghanistan have been affected by Musharraf’s declaration in Pakistan. NATO and Afghan soldiers routinely cooperate with Pakistan’s army to stop al Qaeda and Taliban fighters from infiltrating into eastern Afghanistan.

 

The talks between Pakistan and the United States are annual talks and cover the range of U.S.-Pakistani shared interests.

 

“These are important bilateral meetings that require an atmosphere where the issues can be addressed with the full attention of all participants,” Morrell said to reporters traveling with Gates. “We hope to reschedule these meetings as soon as conditions are more conducive to the important objectives at hand.”

 

The message to President Musharraf is uniform throughout the U.S. government, Morrell said. “There is a degree of disappointment that General Musharraf has taken the steps that he has taken, and we would urge him to return to a law-based, constitutional democratic government as early as possible,” Morrell said.

 

Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan Nov. 2. U.S. response was quick in coming. “The United States is deeply disturbed by reports that Pakistani President Musharraf has taken extra-constitutional actions and has imposed a state of emergency,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a release.

 

McCormack said the state of emergency would be a sharp setback for Pakistani democracy. “President Musharraf has stated repeatedly that he will step down as Chief of Army Staff before re-taking the presidential oath of office and has promised to hold elections by Jan. 15,” McCormack said. “We expect him to uphold these commitments and urge him to do so immediately.”

 

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Pakistani daily The Dawn reported Nov. 6 that the United States will review the sale of 36 F-16 fighters to Pakistan. [emphasis mine] It quoted Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman as telling reporters that the United States would review hundreds of millions of dollars worth of annual military aid to Pakistan, including approximately $80 million per month of US reimbursements for operations against Al Qaeda. The review will also include the sale of 36 F-16 fighters, approved last year.)

Let's review the AMRAAM sales too

It was a package deal, with the aircraft, weapons, etc, so I expect they will be 'reviewed'. IIRC, it was 500 AMRAAMs and 200 AIM-9M Sidewinders (in the air-to-air dept).

From Jane's

 

US stays firm on Pakistan FMF

By Jon Grevatt

06 November 2007

 

The United States is set to continue to provide Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to Pakistan, whose president Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency on 3 November.

 

Pakistan received USD300 million in 2007 from the US' FMF scheme, which stipulates that the funds must be spent on US equipment under the US Foreign Military Sales programme. The same amount has been allocated for 2008.

 

The procurement funds, which are linked to the US' endorsement of Pakistan's role in the 'war on terror', represent nearly one half of total funding under a five-year financial package worth USD3 billion agreed in 2005.

 

Speaking on the day of the declaration, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense (DoD) said that the state of emergency would not affect the military funding.

 

"At this point, the declaration does not impact on our military support for Pakistan's efforts in the 'war on terror'... Obviously, the stakes are high there. Pakistan is a very important ally in the 'war on terror'."

From Defense Aerospace

 

Bush Administration Resists Pakistan Aid Cuts

(Source: Voice of America news; issued Nov. 8, 2007)

 

STATE DEPARTMENT --- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told Congress Wednesday the Bush administration strongly opposes Pakistani President Musharaff's declaration of emergency rule, but he resisted calls for sharp cuts in U.S. aid to that country. The second-ranking State Department official said General Musharraf has been an "indispensable" ally of the United States against terrorism.

 

The more than two-hour hearing in the House Foreign Affairs Committee featured bipartisan criticism of President Musharraf, but a vigorous defense of U.S. engagement with the Islamabad government by Negroponte, who said continued partnership with Pakistan and its people "is the only option."

 

The Bush administration, in addition to demanding a rollback of the Musharraf emergency decree and free elections in January, has begun a review of U.S. aid programs for Pakistan at least in part because of Congressional pressure.

 

However in his testimony, Negroponte said U.S. assistance - totaling nearly $10 billion since 2001 - has been mainly to help Pakistan combat regional extremism and promote moderation, and he said sweeping cuts would be counter to the interests of both countries:

 

"Cutting these programs would send a negative signal to the people of Pakistan," said John Negroponte. "The safety our citizens and the stability of the region depend on nurturing the ties that we have begun to form. Long-term partnership with the Pakistani people is the only option for the United States."

 

A senior Democrat on the committee, Gary Ackerman of New York, lashed out at the Pakistani leader - depicting him as a "thug" whose resort to emergency rule was more about preserving his own hold on power than fighting extremism.

 

Ackerman said General Musharraf is arresting those politicians who could govern the country effectively, and said last weekend's crackdown requires a decisive U.S. response.

 

"This time there should be consequences," said Gary Ackerman. "We should stop delivery of any further F-16's to Pakistan and cut off all further other U.S. assistance until the state of emergency is lifted, the constitution is restored, the fired Supreme Court Justices are reinstated, opposition politicians and civil society activists are released, independent media is allowed to reopen, a caretaker government is appointed to hold free and fair parliamentary elections and General Musharraf steps down as promised as chief of the Army staff."

 

Negroponte, the former chief of U.S. national intelligence, defended general Musharraf's conduct of anti-terrorism operations since 2001.

 

But he said the current turmoil, if prolonged, could become a distraction that undercuts the Pakistani military's security mission, and said the United States may at some point have to consider punitive action.

 

"I think that the longer this situation goes on, in its present form, the more difficult it is going to become," he said. "And that is why we believe it is so important that this state of emergency end, absolutely as soon as possible, so as to not confront us with the kinds of choices that you were describing."

 

Congressman Ackerman's personal criticism of General Musharraf was echoed by California Republican Dana Rohrabacher, normally a strong supporter of the Bush administration.

 

Rohrabacher said the Pakistani leader has been an enemy of moderates and a friend to Islamic radicals, and that it is time for the United States to, as he put it, "drop" General Musharraf.

 

"Who cares if General Musharraf takes off his uniform? It's time for him to go," said Dana Rohrabacher. "I don't care if he is in his uniform or out of his uniform. It's time for him to go. He's been a political juggler and he has failed at that. He has been a political juggler instead of a leader. He's been a chameleon instead of a bold opponent to radical Islam or even a champion of moderation in his own country."

 

Responding, Deputy Secretary Negroponte said it is not up to the United States to "drop" General Musharraf or any other political figure. He said U.S. support has been for the government and people of Pakistan, and that Pakistanis alone will determine that country's political future. (ends)

 

Pentagon: US-Pakistan Military Cooperation Unaffected by Emergency Rule

(Source: Voice of America news; issued Nov. 8, 2007)

 

WASHINGTON --- A senior U.S. military officer says there has so far not been any impact on U.S.-Pakistani military cooperation, since the declaration of a State of Emergency in Pakistan on Saturday.

 

Lieutenant General Carter Ham says the cooperation with Pakistani forces along the country's border with Afghanistan has not been affected by the political turmoil in Pakistan. "From an operational standpoint, the commanders on the ground are not reporting yet any noticeable difference in the relationship, in the communication that they have with their Pakistani counterparts on the other side of the border," he said.

 

General Ham, who is in charge of monitoring worldwide operations for the senior U.S. military staff, says cooperation with Pakistan is important in fighting extremist groups that operate along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He says the more coordination there is between government forces on both sides of the border, the more successful their efforts are.

 

"Those military operations conducted by forces on either side of the border are done with increasing openness, collaboration, synchronization. There's good communication between U.S. and Afghan forces on one side and the Pakistan forces on the other. And we would certainly not want to see that jeopardized in any way," he said.

 

General Ham says continued cooperation with Pakistan is also important because of the country's role in allowing the United States and other countries to keep their forces in Afghanistan supplied. "Well over half of the supplies, the sustainment, for forces in Afghanistan come either through or over Pakistan. So it is very, very important for us in that regard," he said.

 

The U.S. government is reviewing its aid to Pakistan in the wake of the emergency declaration, including military aid and sales. But senior officials say they are taking into account the importance of Pakistan's help with the fighting in Afghanistan, and the broader war on terrorism.

 

General Ham also reports several attempts by Taliban forces to confront NATO forces in Afghanistan directly in large numbers have failed. He says the Taliban may now be reverting to terror tactics, like the large-scale suicide bombing in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday. He called that "a worrisome trend." And he says there is some concern the Taliban may be trying to conduct as many attacks as possible before the winter sets in.

 

[uh oh. I have to say, guys, this approach does not pass the 'smell test'.]

From DefenseNews

 

Posted 01/02/08 21:43

Top Senator Blasts U.S. Sale of F-16s to Pakistan

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, WASHINGTON

 

A senior U.S. senator lashed the administration of President George W. Bush on Jan. 2 for its decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, calling it a sign of a “dangerously misguided” policy toward Islamabad.

The Pentagon announced late Dec. 31 that it had approved the nearly 500 million dollar deal for 18 F-16s for Pakistan, with the deal awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp.

Sen. Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Democratic Party presidential hopeful, branded the move as “reckless,” and said it contradicted new Congressional legislation designed to block such moves.

The decision to go ahead with the sale “shows how dangerously misguided President Bush’s policy is,” Biden said in a statement.

“How can the White House even think of green-lighting such a sale at such an incredibly sensitive time?” he said, referring to the political turmoil in Pakistan in the wake of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, who hoped to become prime minister.

“This is the time we should be putting the pressure on the government and military to fully investigate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and to hold free and fair elections — not let them off the hook,” Biden said.

Although the terms of the sale were not yet public, he noted that the recently passed Defense Appropriations bill “bars any assistance to Pakistan for weapons sales that are not for counter-terrorism purposes.”

“If any U.S. aid is involved, the sale is illegal,” he said.

“If the sale involves no U.S. assistance, it is technically legal but fundamentally misguided.”

 

[biden often (ok, maybe just sometimes) has sensible things to say. And I must say I have trouble disagreeing with him here].

Man, I dunno ... in principle, Biden is right, no question. But in practice? Musharraf is trying to be a key US ally in the War on Terror while ruling a country where Osama bin Laden has a 46% approval rating. That's a rather delicate balancing act at the very best of times, and Musharraf absolutely requires the support of the Pakistani military to carry it off. It may simply be that the consequences of canceling the sale are worse than the consequences of allowing it.

Even if we assume that Musharraf really is trying to be the good ally in the GWOT, he is still just one man and a leader with a finite political life. Can we accurately predict what Pakistan's political landscape will look like when Musharraf is gone ? Because when he is history, the F-16s, and the AIM-120C5 AMRAAMs, the JDAMs, the Enhanced Paveway LGBs, etc, etc, will still be there.

Even if we assume that Musharraf really is trying to be the good ally in the GWOT, he is still just one man and a leader with a finite political life. Can we accurately predict what Pakistan's political landscape will look like when Musharraf is gone ? Because when he is history, the F-16s, and the AIM-120C5 AMRAAMs, the JDAMs, the Enhanced Paveway LGBs, etc, etc, will still be there.

 

 

It seems like a real catch-22, doesn't it? Musharraf is less than ideal as an ally, but at the moment he's the best of a bad lot. My guess --- and that's all it is --- would be that Bush & Co. decided that however badly allowing the sale might turn out in the long run, canceling the sale might be enough to topple Musharraf, with even less pleasant immediate consequences, particularly for the troops in Afghanistan whose main supply route runs through Pakistan. I'm rather glad that it wasn't my decision to make.