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Post by jerryfmcompushaft on Sept 6, 2012 10:57:20 GMT -5
Any comments, Sir John?
New Zealand's troops in Afghanistan will pull out five months early starting in April because withdrawing later would be "too dangerous" for the 150 remaining "Kiwis," said New Zealand Prime Minister John Key. Pentagon officials on Tuesday said the formal withdrawal announcement by Key should not be seen as a sign the coalition in Afghanistan is unraveling. The officials stressed that the allies' strategy for putting the Afghan National Security Forces in control in 2014 was making steady progress. Key confirmed earlier speculation that the New Zealanders would fly out of the relatively peaceful Bamiyan province in April, five months earlier than had been planned. April was the latest the Kiwis could leave by air, since the Bamiyan airport would be undergoing reconstruction. Read the rest
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Post by Swampy on Sept 6, 2012 14:17:13 GMT -5
They fought hard for the right cause, but they are a small nation.
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Post by jerryfmcompushaft on Sept 6, 2012 15:19:06 GMT -5
And I think they have evaluated it correctly. They are leaving while it is still safe to do so. After the US drawdown, anyone left who is not strong/large enough to defend themselves are just fresh meat for the Taliban....  |
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Post by Swampy on Sept 6, 2012 15:19:45 GMT -5
I fear for the Afghans - remember what happened when Saigon fell?
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Post by Sir John on Sept 6, 2012 17:43:42 GMT -5
New Zealand has a population of about 5 million. The USA has a dozen cities at least of more than that.
Her military is miniscule, and her Navy and Air Force are almost non-existant. Her army would not run to two battalions. She is in a very similar situation to Canada. The USA would NEVER let Canada be over-run, and Australia is the same.
New Zealand should attach an Infantry Company to the Australian base, thus becoming a new ANZAC group, and stay the course!
SJ
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2012 18:14:46 GMT -5
I fear for the Afghans - remember what happened when Saigon fell? Why worry about them? They will return to the tribal culture that they have had for Gawd know how many years. Using VN as a for instance isn't good. Look where they are now. You will never see that in Afghanistan. |
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Post by Sir John on Sept 6, 2012 18:31:36 GMT -5
Afghanistan will return to the year of Mohammads death.
May as well they have made NIL progress in the past 500 years. Ever since they got kicked out of Spain in 1492.
They never will.
SJ
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Post by griffin on Sept 7, 2012 17:51:36 GMT -5
Her military is miniscule, and her Navy and Air Force are almost non-existant. Her army would not run to two battalions. She is in a very similar situation to Canada. The USA would NEVER let Canada be over-run, and Australia is the same. SJ I get the point about NZ, but comparing it to Canada's military, would be a stretch. Not that we don't need more troops, assets, etc. but nowhere close to the mess the socialist governing party had made in destroying a once proud military in its own right. |
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Post by Sir John on Sept 7, 2012 18:27:53 GMT -5
Griffin,
When the socialists gained power in NZ, one of the first things they did was piss off the USA by banning USN ships because they MAY carry nukes.
Then they pissed off Australia by running down the NZ Air Force and Navy to the stage that they have virtually NIL capability. The RNZAF has NIL fighters and NIl bombers and almost NIL maritime recon. Also, the Army has NIL tanks and a handful of artillery! I think they have a few trucks.
The RNZN has 2x modern frigates that were built in OZ and sold to NZ for about HALF the cost of construction.
Now that sanity has returned and the Conservative government is faced with the problem of building a defence force from the ground up which is near impossible.
Both Canada and Russia know this to be true.
SJ
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