NATO defense leaders gathering here Tuesday are committed to the war in Afghanistan, according to U.S. and alliance officials, but there are growing signs that the Afghan political and military hostilities are starting to wear on the coalition.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other U.S. officials heading into the meetings say they expect to reassure allies that military commanders are doing all they can to stem the tide of insider attacks, in which Afghan troops or insurgents dressed in their uniforms turn their guns on the coalition forces that are training them.
Compounding those military threats, however, is a recent spike in political tensions between Afghanistan's government leaders and the U.S.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai complained that the war effort is wrongheaded, and that coalition forces are not fighting the right enemy.
Just days ahead of the NATO meeting, Panetta was uncharacteristically sharp, criticizing Karzai for complaining rather than thanking the troops who have sacrificed their lives for his country. Karzai's argument that NATO is wrongly going after the Taliban in Afghanistan when it should be fighting insurgents in Pakistan's safe havens could further erode support for the war, particularly among members of Congress.
Panetta's pique reflects the frustration of his military commanders, who have seen more than 2,000 U.S. troops die in the 11-year war. And it can only fuel the increasingly strident grumbling by American lawmakers who are facing hotly contested elections next month, and are hearing from constituents wondering why the U.S. is pouring billions of dollars into a fight that Afghanistan's shaky and corruption-plagued government may no longer support.
Still, Panetta and allied leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, insist that the war strategy is sound. They say the coalition will stick to the withdrawal schedule, which has combat forces leaving and Afghan forces taking over security of the country by the end of 2014.
During meetings Tuesday, Rasmussen said the ministers are expected to endorse a new framework for the Afghan war post 2014, shifting the focus of the coalition effort from combat to training. As a result, NATO is working on a new name for the mission — which to date has been the International Security Assistance Force. It would change in 2015 to the International Training, Advisory and Assistance Mission.
That mission would also likely include continued counterterrorism efforts by the U.S.
The NATO members were also discussing the widening gap in defense spending between the U.S. and the European allies, who have been cutting military budgets as part of their financial austerity measures. In the middle of the past decade, the U.S. accounted for about 63 percent of total alliance spending, in contrast to 77 percent today.
Panetta told reporters traveling with him that the ministers will discuss the progress that has been made since they met for a summit in Chicago earlier this year.
"I'll also reassure allies of our strong commitment to finishing the job in Afghanistan alongside our allies," he said.
Defense ministers on Wednesday will also hear from Marine Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, who will discuss measures the military has taken to reduce the insider attacks.
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