Washington earmarks funds to strengthen Pakistani counter-insurgency

[fatman17]

Washington earmarks funds to strengthen Pakistani counter-insurgency capabilities

Trefor Moss JDW Asia-Pacific Editor - London

Key Points
The United States is planning to set up a USD2.8 billion Pakistani Counter-insurgency Capability Fund

Washington's lack of confidence in Pakistan's counter-insurgency capabilities was highlighted by the latest in a string of UAV strikes


The United States is to continue funding the Pakistan Army via a new Pakistani Counter-insurgency Capability Fund (PCCF), CENTCOM commander General David Petraeus has said.

Gen Petraeus revealed plans for the new fund on 30 March, amid US media reports that USD2.8 billion was being earmarked for the PCCF over a five-year period.

A CENTCOM spokesman told Jane's that he was unable to discuss the PCCF as the budgetary request for the programme's funding was still under consideration; however, he confirmed that the amount requested was in the order of USD2.8 billion over five years. A decision on whether to fund the project would be reached within a matter of days, he added.

The lack of an effective counter-insurgency strategy in Pakistan was underlined on 1 April when the latest in a series of suspected US unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) strikes was reported in the Orakzai agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The strike, which killed around 12 suspected militants, according to local sources, was the first to have been conducted in Orakzai.

The continuation of UAV strikes under President Barack Obama has demonstrated that, in spite of the administration's top-down reassessment of the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the US has little confidence in Pakistan's ability - or even its willingness - to attack Afghan insurgents inside Pakistan.

Launching the US's new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan on 27 March, Obama discussed proposals - which are subject to Congressional approval - to spend USD7.5 billion over a five-year period on civilian projects to help "strengthen Pakistan's democracy".

However, he did not offer any specific details on future military assistance to Islamabad, saying that "after years of mixed results, we will not provide a blank check" to the Pakistan Army and that the US "must focus [its] military assistance on the tools, training and support that Pakistan needs to root out the terrorists".

US military aid to Pakistan has been highly controversial. Despite handing the regime of former president Pervez Musharraf around USD10 billion in military assistance, Washington has seen the Pakistan Army make little headway in dismantling the safe havens of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in the country's remote western regions.

US lawmakers have also objected to the funding of big-ticket platforms, notably F-16 fighters, at the expense of more relevant, and often more basic, counter-insurgency equipment and training.

A Pakistani military spokesman told Jane's that the army was continuing to mount operations against Pakistani militant groups in the country - especially in the FATA's Mohmand agency - but that it had no specific plans to retaliate against Tehrik-e-Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who claimed responsibility for the 30 March attack on police recruits in Lahore that left 11 dead and around 100 injured.

The attack, which followed another spectacular terrorist operation in Lahore against the Sri Lankan cricket team several weeks earlier, highlighted yet again Pakistan's fragile security situation.

© 2009 Jane's Information Group

 

[fatman17]

Meet the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund

By Spencer Ackerman 4/3/09

The New York Times has the details of the funding program to support Pakistani troops in counterinsurgency that Gen. David Petraeus and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy unveiled Wednesday:

The new approach, which requires Congressional approval, would give responsibility to the Pentagon and its Central Command for consulting with Pakistan’s military and determining what equipment and training it most needed to fight an Islamist militancy that is gaining momentum in the country’s unruly tribal areas. The fund would also be used to replace equipment the Pakistani Army and the Frontier Corps lost in combat.

The fund will include $500 million for this year and $3 billion over the next five years. Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), foreign affairs committee chair in the House, frets that the money that the Obama administration will seek in the final-ever war supplemental (!) for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund continues a pattern of taking foreign military training out of the foreign aid budget and places it with the Pentagon. Sure, but — you know, prioritize here, yeah? This is a COIN capability the Pakistanis need ASAP if the United States isn’t going to invade the Pakistani tribal areas. It took real effort on the part of Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) this week just to get the foreign aid budget request fully funded. One foot before the other.

Still, though, there remains an as-yet unanswered question: the aid money that the Bush administration gave to the Pakistani military came primarily in the form of untraceable cash transfers. Yes, really. After the United States signed away the cash, it literally had no oversight into how it got spent. Will the Obama administration break that pattern? It talks a big game on benchmarks but the early signals for their delivery aren’t positive ones.

 

[S-2]

"This is a COIN capability the Pakistanis need ASAP if the United States isn’t going to invade the Pakistani tribal areas."

Loose cannon describes Ackerman generally and specifically fits very well right here.

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

WOW
the clowns want us to fight their war why coz they r too scared to go inside the Mountains of Deth..

 

[JK!]

How much of this funding will help interior ministry troops like the FC?

 

[fatman17]

How much of this funding will help interior ministry troops like the FC?

my guess is more than 50% for training and re-equipment like NVGs, Strykers for the FC and air-assault / attack capability for the PA. the Chinook/Apache acquisition looks closer now.

 

[batmannow]

FC will never be a force, which can deal any thing in fata, even you give them sucds!
they had lost thier credibilty , they need transformation from a localy based froce to a regular brigade with right combination of peoples?
i guss, its better to have a new, force with credible combination of weapons & traning with thier good numbers.
for some people, numbers of troops are not important but , for me as a infantry man, i really see need of perment force with large numbers & a regular status in fata.
other wise there will be no solution can be found, from these make shift opreations from PAKARMY in fata, this is fifth year in a row in which PAKARMY is still in action but, they were initially used to let these rats run

 

[fatman17]

FC will never be a force, which can deal any thing in fata, even you give them sucds!
they had lost thier credibilty , they need transformation from a localy based froce to a regular brigade with right combination of peoples?
i guss, its better to have a new, force with credible combination of weapons & traning with thier good numbers.
for some people, numbers of troops are not important but , for me as a infantry man, i really see need of perment force with large numbers & a regular status in fata.
other wise there will be no solution can be found, from these make shift opreations from PAKARMY in fata, this is fifth year in a row in which PAKARMY is still in action but, they were initially used to let these rats run

I beg to disagree! the FC is doing a tough job! they r being trained in CI ops and already a battalion of 400 FC SOFs has been created and trained which is giving a good account of itelf (60 militants killed in ops)

so my advice is be patient!

 

[batmannow]

I beg to disagree! the FC is doing a tough job! they r being trained in CI ops and already a battalion of 400 FC SOFs has been created and trained which is giving a good account of itelf (60 militants killed in ops)

so my advice is be patient!

fatman17; my big sir!
patients?
already how many years gone with this patient?
400 FC SOFs CREATED & 60 militants killed in ops! "BAIT ULLAHA MEHSUD" CHALLENGING every one?
i certnly agree to your only point, FC is doing a tough job.

time has passd , fast from the days of "LAL MASJID"
patients are gone, peoples of pakistan doesnt need "INTIZAR FARMAIAY" any more, they need results?

 

[fatman17]

fatman17; my big sir!
patients?
already how many years gone with this patient?
400 FC SOFs CREATED & 60 militants killed in ops! "BAIT ULLAHA MEHSUD" CHALLENGING every one?
i certnly agree to your only point, FC is doing a tough job.

time has passd , fast from the days of "LAL MASJID"
patients are gone, peoples of pakistan doesnt need "INTIZAR FARMAIAY" any more, they need results?

as you please my dear friend!
the sri-lankan insurgency is going into its 25th year and now is nearing its end. so dont expect our militancy to end very soon. there are no silver-bullet solutions here, it will take time and it requires the support of all pakistanis!

 

[fatman17]

US plans $3bn Pak military boost

* Funds will pay for helicopters, night-vision goggles, and training for special operations forces and FC
* Mullen says Pakistan Army must change focus from India to insurgency

WASHINGTON: The US Defence Department has a $3 billion plan to train and equip Pakistan’s military over the next five years, US media reported on Friday.

The funds would pay for helicopters, night-vision goggles and other equipment and counterinsurgency training for Pakistan’s special operations forces and Frontier Corps paramilitary troops, the New York Times said. It quoted Pentagon officials as saying that up to $500 million could come from a yearly emergency war budget that President Barack Obama’s administration would present to Congress next week.

But with some legislators expressing concern over the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund, the top US military officer acknowledged that the US had not mandated enough accountability for the funds. “There hasn’t been an audit trail, and there haven’t been accountability measures put in place, and there needs to be for all the funds,” Joint Chief of Staff Chairman (CJCSC) Admiral Mike Mullen told the Times’ editorial board. “So we’re going to do that. For this counterinsurgency money, which is important, it is critical that it goes for exactly that and nowhere else,” he added.

Mullen: Mullen said the Pakistan army must change its focus from fighting India to combating militants and insurgents within its borders. He said insurgents operating in safe havens in Pakistan were preparing attacks against Afghanistan and Pakistan. “The Taliban, in particular, are going both ways now,” he said. “They are coming toward Islamabad and they are actually going toward Kabul. I’m completely convinced that the vast majority of the leaders in Pakistan understand the seriousness of the threat.” The US has warned Islamabad that it must combat militant groups in return for economic and military aid.

afp

 

[IceCold]

Mullen should understand Pakistan's concern before coming out with a statement like the above because otherwise it is not going to happen not till all disputes between India and Pakistan are settled which by the way doesn't seem to be happening any time soon. Pakistan army is maintaining a very well balanced approach between combating terrorism and at the same time keeping a check on India. Mullen shouldn't expect more and moreover If US is so sincere in boosting our insurgency capabilities, how come they always decline us the drone technology, doesn't that fall in the boosting insurgency capability category.

 

[Contrarian]

US plans $3bn Pak military boost

* Funds will pay for helicopters, night-vision goggles, and training for special operations forces and FC

WASHINGTON: The US Defence Department has a $3 billion plan to train and equip Pakistan’s military over the next five years, US media reported on Friday.
afp

Not again! Why do they KEEP arming Pakistan. When they know everything will be used against us...And there's no accountability.

 

[DarkStar]

Personally, I don't agree with making FC teh primary force to fight the militants. It is never a good idea for a force to conduct operations in the area of its recruitment. It's an invitation to desertion, and confusion among the ranks.

Better to use the FC as recon and logistical support, while the bulk of the fighting should be given to the Pak Rangers, or some other paramiltary force, even regular forces.

 

[Kharian_Beast]

I still don't understand why more regular army units weren't as active as they could have been, India would never attack Pakistan just because 150,000 or so troops were shifted west to combat terrorism. If they did the intentions of India and more so the U.S. regarding our participating in the WoT would become clear and it would benefit Pakistan's position.

We have enough firepower to raze the continent, it makes us look weak, incompetent, childish and careless about national security when the U.S. has to hand out a few billion for us to get a fair fight on sandle wearing tribesmen and foreign fighters who come over with little more than automatic rifles and at best rpg's.

Also what good will fancy ct equipment do when there is a ceasefire and peace agreement in place?

Can I get a WTF ?