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by Keith B. Richburg
and DeNeen L. Brown
Washington Post
Foreign Service
Tuesday, October 9, 2001; Page A09
PARIS, Oct. 8 -- The
NATO alliance plans to send five European radar planes to help protect
the East Coast of the United States from attack, taking over
responsibilities normally handled by U.S. aircraft that are taking part
in the Afghanistan strikes, officials said today.
As the strikes
entered their second day, other allies stepped forward with assistance
in the Asian conflict zone itself. Canada said it will send 2,000 troops
including a commando unit, six warships and six airplanes to join the
campaign, while France said it had intelligence agents on the ground
working with the Afghan opposition.
The deployment of
AWACS aircraft, four-engine planes outfitted as flying radar stations,
is perhaps the most unusual manifestation of the division of labor
emerging among the NATO allies. The joint cooperation will place
European troops, in this case Germans, in charge of securing the safety
of an American coastline.
The AWACS are
coming from Geilenkirchen air base in Germany. NATO officials call the
new assignment symbolically significant, because the Sept. 11 attacks on
New York and Washington were carried out with hijacked airplanes.
"It's a compliment
from the United States that they're happy to have their skies patrolled
by NATO," said Mark Laity, special advisor to NATO's secretary general,
George Robertson. "The tragedy came from the skies."
In the opening days
of the military campaign in Afghanistan, the United States is getting
aid from allies in many ways, including troops in the field -- British
forces participated in the first day's salvos -- access to ports and
airfields, and the sharing of intelligence.
Generally, the
arrangements are structured to give the Brussels-based NATO a role in
the anti-terror coalition, but maintain nearly complete field control in
U.S. hands. That way actions can proceed without consultations with
numerous allied capitals. "We all know a coalition is never as
coordinated as one nation on its own," said Laity.
In some cases, the
allies are filling holes created as U.S. troops ship out from their
normal stations for duty in the Afghan theater.
On Tuesday, NATO
plans to formally authorize a redeployment of European naval forces to
the eastern Mediterranean, in part to free up American naval ships there
for the Afghan conflict. The decision was made today, NATO sources said,
but not announced to give alliance ambassadors time to consult with
their home governments.
From the start, the
Bush administration has let it be known that as the operation unfolds,
the United States will need to redeploy some forces out of the Balkans.
Among the forces that might be shifted, a U.S. official said, are
specialized medical units in Kosovo and units operating unmanned drones,
or low-flying surveillance aircraft.
"We have some
specialized units in the Balkans and committed elsewhere in Western
Europe to specific European missions," said a U.S. diplomat. "We hope
not to, but we may have to pull out temporarily for some
counter-terrorism operations. We may just need those specialized units
or equipment for counter-terrorism purposes."
Canada's
contribution will include the frigate HMCS Halifax, with 230 personnel,
which was immediately directed to the Persian Gulf; one destroyer; a
supply ship; and Sea King helicopters. Another frigate, the HMCS
Vancouver, will be deployed from Canada's west coast.
Canada's air force
will provide surveillance and airlift support with three C-130 Hercules,
one Airbus plane and two Aurora maritime patrol aircraft. The commandos
to be deployed are a component of a unit called Joint Task Force 2.
Defense Minister Art
Eggleton said he has authorized 100 members of Canada's armed forces who
were serving in exchange programs in the United States and with other
allies to participate in operations conducted by their "host units in
response to the recent terrorist attack."
Earlier, in response
to a request from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint
U.S.-Canadian organization, eight additional Canadian jet fighters were
assigned to patrol North American airspace, up from four before Sept.
11, Canadian officials said.
Australia,
meanwhile, has offered 150 elite Special Air Services troops, as well as
refueling and surveillance aircraft, bringing the Australian commitment
to 1,000 troops.
France has offered
use of its naval forces in the Indian Ocean, and defense ministry
officials said today that intelligence agents are already on the ground
in Afghanistan in contact with the opposition Northern Alliance forces.
The slain Northern
Alliance leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud, was fluent in French and had
extensive French military contacts, a French military source here said.
Brown reported from
Toronto.
© 2001 The
Washington Post Company
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