NATO attack and its effect on Pakistan

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance of 28 countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty signed on 4 April 1949. In accordance with the Treaty, the fundamental role of NATO is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries by political and military means. NATO is playing an increasingly important role in crisis management and peacekeeping. All member countries that participate in the military aspect of the Alliance contribute forces and equipment, which together constitute the integrated military structure of the Alliance. These forces and assets remain under national command and control until a time when they are required by NATO for a specific purpose (i.e. conflict crisis, peacekeeping). NATO, however, does possess some common capabilities owned and operated by the Alliance. The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and special forces components that the Alliance can deploy quickly to wherever it is needed.It is comprised of three parts: a command and control element from the NATO Command Structure; the Immediate Response Force, a joint force of about 13 000 high-readiness troops provided by Allies; and a Response Forces Pool, which can supplement the Immediate Response Force when necessary. The NRF has the overarching purpose of being able to provide a rapid military response to an emerging crisis, whether for collective defence purposes or for other crisis response operations.The force gives NATO the means to respond swiftly to various types of crises anywhere in the world. It is also a driving engine of NATOs military transformation.

A rotational force:

The NATO Response Force is based on a rotational system; nations commit land, air, naval or special forces units to the Immediate Response Force for a six-month period. Starting in 2012, the rotation periods will be extended from six to 12 months. The NRF is also open to Partner countries, once approved by the North Atlantic Council. The flexibility offered by the Response Forces Pool, which permits nations to make contributions on their own terms, for durations of their choosing, is particularly relevant in this regard. Participation in the Immediate Response Force is preceded by national preparation, followed by training with other participants in the multinational force. As units rotate through the NRF, the associated high standards, concepts and technologies are gradually spread throughout the Alliance, thereby fulfilling one of the key purposes the NRF the further transformation of Allied forces. Operational command of the NRF currently alternates among NATOs Joint Force Commands in Brunssum, Naples, and Lisbon.

A powerful package

The Immediate Response Force has: a brigade-sized land component based on three Battle Groups and their supporting elements; a maritime component based on NATOs Standing Naval Maritime Groups and Standing Naval Mine Counter Measures Groups; a combat air and air support component; special forces; and a CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) defence task force. Before use, the force will be tailored (adjusted in size and capability) to match the demands of any specific operation to which it is committed.

Any mission, anywhere:

The NATO Response Force provides a visible assurance of NATOs cohesion and commitment to deterrence and collective defence. Each rotation of the force has to prepare itself for a wide range of tasks for example, contributing to the preservation of teritorial integrity, making a demonstration of force, peace support operations, disaster relief, protection of critical infrastructure, security operations and, as part of a larger force, conducting initial entry operations. Elements of the NRF helped protect the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, and were deployed to support the Afghan presidential elections in September 2004. The NRF has also been used in disaster relief. In September and October 2005, aircraft from the NATO Response Force delivered relief supplies donated by NATO member and Partner countries to the US, to assist in dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. From October 2005 to February 2006, elements of the NATO Response Force were used in the disaster relief effort in Pakistan, following the devastating 8 October earthquake. Aircraft from the NRF were used in an air bridge that delivered almost 3500 tons of urgently needed supplies to Pakistan, while engineers and medical personnel from the NATO Response Force were deployed to Pakistan to assist in the relief effort.

Authority:

Any decision to use the NATO Response Force is a consensual political decision, taken on a case-by-case basis by all 28 Allies in the North Atlantic Council, NATOs principal decision-making body.

Effects:
Nato expressed regret on Sunday over air strikes that killed 24 Pakistanisoldiers as the United States sought to repair relations with Islamabad, plunged into fresh crisis over the lethal attack. Pakistan reacted with fury over the killings of two dozen soldiers, widely interpreted in the local media as a "deliberate" assault by Nato helicopters and fighter jets on two military posts on the Afghan border early on Saturday. Islamabad conveyed its anger to the United States, blocked Nato convoys from crossing into Afghanistan, ordered a review of its alliance with the US and mulled whether to boycott a key conference on Afghanistan next month. Hundreds of enraged Pakistanis took to the streets, burning an effigy of President Barack Obama and setting fire

to US flags across the country of 167 million where opposition to the government's US alliance is rampant. At the largest rally, attended by 700 people outside the US consulate in the port city of Karachi, protestors shouted "stay away Americans, Pakistan is ours, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our army". The United States, which depends on Pakistan as a vital lifeline to supply 130 000 foreign troops fighting in landlocked Afghanistan, on Sunday scrambled to salvage the alliance, backing a full inquiry and expressing condolences. Nato also sought to soothe Islamabad's rage, but stopped short of issuing a full apology to Pakistan for the "tragic, unintended" killings. A Western official said allies were trying to ascertain "exactly" what Pakistan's public position meant and to prevent lasting damage as a result of the suspended supply lines intoAfghanistan. Investigators are to examine whether Afghan and American troops along the border may have been fired upon first - whether by insurgents orsoldiers - and to what extent their operation was co-ordinated with Pakistan. Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen issued a statement, saying he had written to Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. "I have written... to make it clear that the deaths of Pakistani personnel are as unacceptable and deplorable as the deaths of Afghan and international personnel," he said. "This was a tragic unintended incident." Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar earlier telephoned US Secretaryof State Hillary Clinton to convey a "deep sense of rage" as a joint funeral was held for the dead soldiers, their coffins draped in the national flag. Khar said attacks on military outposts were "totally unacceptable", contravened international law and violated Pakistani sovereignty. She spoke to Clinton to inform her of Pakistan's response, formulated at an emergency meeting of cabinet ministers and military chiefs, saying that Pakistan was forced "to revisit the terms of engagement". Pakistan said its attendance at a conference of more than 90 delegations due in Germany on December 5 was "being examined", although a boycott is considered unlikely given how much Pakistan stands to lose by not attending. US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Clinton offered their "deepest condolences" and backed "Nato's intention to investigate immediately". They stressed the importance of the US-Pakistani partnership and pledged to remain in close contact with Pakistan "through this challenging time". Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Kayani, who had hosted the US commander inAfghanistan for talks on co-ordination only one day before the attack, led the mourners in funeral prayers in the northwestern city of Peshawar. In September 2010, Pakistan also shut the main land route for Nato supplies at Torkham for 11 days after accusing Nato of killing three Pakistani troops. The border was reopened after the United States formally apologised and most commentators expect the latest crisis to be resolved similarly. The fact that Pakistan also ordered the United States to leave the Shamsi air base, reportedly used as a hub for US drone strikes on militants, was also interpreted as a sign of Islamabad's relatively limited options. Pakistan, which depends on billions of dollars in US aid, has made similar demands in the past and there have been reports that American personnel already left the secretive base, southwest of Islamabad, earlier this year. Nato troops frequently carry out operations against Taliban insurgents close to the border with Pakistan, which in many places is unmarked, as Pakistani troops also wrestle with putting down a home grown Taliban insurgency. Afghan and US officials have frequently accused Pakistani troops at worst of colluding with the Taliban or at best of standing by while insurgents fire across the border, often in clear sight of Pakistani border posts.

Kinnaird College for women

Submitted to: Miss Amna Submitted by: Zahra Haider Couse title: News and current affairs Major: Mass Communication semester 3