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Uzbek Hub Growing In Prominence
The Northern Distribution Network is expected to play an even more prominent role thanks to the rise in traffic at a little-known logistics hub established by Korean Airlines at Navoi Airport in Uzbekistan in August 2010.
Alexander Cooley, the author of the book “Base Politics” and an assistant professor at Barnard College, says that over the past year air traffic into Navoi has tripled, at least according to Uzbek sources.
“Even though the U.S. military does not like to discuss the various points of origin and entry and so forth,” he says, “we have a pretty good idea that a lot of equipment is also being transported through this particular Uzbek hub.”
Starting in 2010, Korean Airlines has flown regular cargo flights from Incheon (South Korea) to Milan and Brussels via Navoi Airport seven times a week. Additional cargo service has since been inaugurated between Navoi and Delhi, Mumbai, Bangkok, and Frankfurt.
According to information posted on the Navoi terminal’s official website, Korean Airlines will add new cargo routes from Navoi to Istanbul, Dubai, Almaty, and Dhaka (Bangladesh) this year.
Korean Airlines, as the operator of the hub, has also contracted with several companies working for the U.S. Department of Defense. The Pentagon itself has acknowledged using the facility for limited commercial cargo transport.
The U.S. military is tight-lipped about the project, and the authoritarian regime in Uzbekistan maintains tight security around the airport, making it hard to arrive at independent assessments.
Still, experts say Navoi is likely to result in a significant boost of capacity for the Northern Distribution Network. It could also make it easier to transport a wider variety of supplies through the NDN to NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan’s emerging role as a transit hub for NATO supplies to Afghanistan is likely to have a major impact on relations between Tashkent and Washington. In 2005, the U.S. criticized the Uzbek government’s use of deadly force against protesters in Andijon, leading the Uzbeks to evict the Americans from the Kharsi-Khanabad air base, then their main transport hub in the country.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov stands to gain as NATO moves more goods through the NDN.Uzbekistan’s renewed importance as a supply hub could enable Tashkent to push back against Western criticism of its democratization and human rights practices, says Cooley. And, he says, that may not be the only benefit for Uzbek leaders.
“The Uzbek regime is getting considerable transit fees and logistical contracts, many of which are conducted with private companies with suspected close ties to government elites,” Cooley says. “In other words, the economic incentives are important for the Uzbek government.”
Discussions with the Russians seem to be bearing fruit. According to Russian news agencies, the Duma, the lower house of parliament, ratified an agreement on February 25 that would allow the United States to move troops as well as supplies across Russian territory for military operations in Afghanistan.
Many military analysts in Washington regard the move as a sign of Russia’s commitment to helping NATO troops succeed in Afghanistan – support which, at least in the view of some in Washington, has not always been forthcoming.
For all the activity along the Northern Distribution Route, there is little likelihood the northern route will supplant the line of communications through Pakistan any time soon. Still, there is little doubt that officials in Moscow and the capitals of Central Asia have every reason to welcome the benefits that supply routes are bringing them.
Full article
Central Asia Stands To Gain As NATO Shifts Supply Lines Away From Pakistan - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2011
The Northern Distribution Network is expected to play an even more prominent role thanks to the rise in traffic at a little-known logistics hub established by Korean Airlines at Navoi Airport in Uzbekistan in August 2010.
Alexander Cooley, the author of the book “Base Politics” and an assistant professor at Barnard College, says that over the past year air traffic into Navoi has tripled, at least according to Uzbek sources.
“Even though the U.S. military does not like to discuss the various points of origin and entry and so forth,” he says, “we have a pretty good idea that a lot of equipment is also being transported through this particular Uzbek hub.”
Starting in 2010, Korean Airlines has flown regular cargo flights from Incheon (South Korea) to Milan and Brussels via Navoi Airport seven times a week. Additional cargo service has since been inaugurated between Navoi and Delhi, Mumbai, Bangkok, and Frankfurt.
According to information posted on the Navoi terminal’s official website, Korean Airlines will add new cargo routes from Navoi to Istanbul, Dubai, Almaty, and Dhaka (Bangladesh) this year.
Korean Airlines, as the operator of the hub, has also contracted with several companies working for the U.S. Department of Defense. The Pentagon itself has acknowledged using the facility for limited commercial cargo transport.
The U.S. military is tight-lipped about the project, and the authoritarian regime in Uzbekistan maintains tight security around the airport, making it hard to arrive at independent assessments.
Still, experts say Navoi is likely to result in a significant boost of capacity for the Northern Distribution Network. It could also make it easier to transport a wider variety of supplies through the NDN to NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan’s emerging role as a transit hub for NATO supplies to Afghanistan is likely to have a major impact on relations between Tashkent and Washington. In 2005, the U.S. criticized the Uzbek government’s use of deadly force against protesters in Andijon, leading the Uzbeks to evict the Americans from the Kharsi-Khanabad air base, then their main transport hub in the country.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov stands to gain as NATO moves more goods through the NDN.Uzbekistan’s renewed importance as a supply hub could enable Tashkent to push back against Western criticism of its democratization and human rights practices, says Cooley. And, he says, that may not be the only benefit for Uzbek leaders.
“The Uzbek regime is getting considerable transit fees and logistical contracts, many of which are conducted with private companies with suspected close ties to government elites,” Cooley says. “In other words, the economic incentives are important for the Uzbek government.”
Discussions with the Russians seem to be bearing fruit. According to Russian news agencies, the Duma, the lower house of parliament, ratified an agreement on February 25 that would allow the United States to move troops as well as supplies across Russian territory for military operations in Afghanistan.
Many military analysts in Washington regard the move as a sign of Russia’s commitment to helping NATO troops succeed in Afghanistan – support which, at least in the view of some in Washington, has not always been forthcoming.
For all the activity along the Northern Distribution Route, there is little likelihood the northern route will supplant the line of communications through Pakistan any time soon. Still, there is little doubt that officials in Moscow and the capitals of Central Asia have every reason to welcome the benefits that supply routes are bringing them.
Full article
Central Asia Stands To Gain As NATO Shifts Supply Lines Away From Pakistan - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2011
) arm-twist or cajole Russia out of these "working arrangements". That is the reality---just watch this space!
