U.S., Canadian Defense Chiefs Answer Afghanistan Questions

HALIFAX FORUM - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates addresses the audience as Canadian Minister of National Defense Peter MacKay, left, and Craig Kennedy, president of the German Marshall Fund, look on during the Halifax International Security Forum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Nov. 20, 2009. DoD photo by Cherie Cullen

From U.S. Department of Defense:

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Nov. 20, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay met here today to discuss bilateral, hemispheric issues, but reporters’ questions afterward were all about Afghanistan.

In their meeting, MacKay and Gates discussed building a maritime surveillance capability, defense issues in the Arctic and security cooperation for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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My Comment: Being a Canadian citizen who comments constantly on military affairs, as well as having long time contacts within the ruling Conservative party (I was a delegate to a leadership convention over 25 years ago, I am "somewhat" plugged into what is the thinking on Canada's future role in Afghanistan.

Bottom line .... at the end of 2011 Canadian combat soldiers will be out of Afghanistan.

There is no appetite for continued involvement in this war .... which, when coupled with a lack of leadership and direction from Washington and other allies .... has resulted in the acceptance among all Canadian political parties that it is now time to leave.

This has also been my view for the past year, and I have been told that while this "understanding" of our leaving has been percolating in the Canada's political elite for the past year, blogs like this one and other Canadian military pundits and commentators have helped to sway the public perception on why the Canadian involvement in the Afghan campaign must come to an end.

There is still hope among many in the Canadian Government is that U.S. leadership and commitment will change the dynamics of the Afghan war .... but I am not optimistic .... in fact .... I getting more pessimistic.

In the upcoming days President Obama will be outlining U.S. strategic objectives and commitments for the Afghan war. I can assure my American readers that the American audience will not be the only audience that will be listening to him.