The United States named Afghanistan a major non-NATO ally (MNNA) Saturday, allowing for more fluid defense cooperation between the two countries as they move closer to the 2014 U.S. troop pullout deadline.
"The transition is on track," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who made the declaration during a unannounced visit to Islamabad on Saturday. "The United States will be your friend and your partner. We are not even imagining abandoning Afghanistan; quite the opposite. We are building a partnership with Afghanistan that will endure far into the future."
The ally status will allow the U.S. and Afghanistan to more easily cooperate on defense planning, procurement, and training and gives the central Asian country eligibility for training, loans of equipment for research and development and even Foreign Military Financing for commercial leasing of certain defense articles.
Other benefits available to MNNA countries include participation in counterterrorism initiatives, purchase of depleted uranium anti-tank rounds, priority delivery of some military surplus items and expedited export processing of space technology.
Afghanistan is the 15th country to be given MNNA status, and the first since 2004, when Afghanistan's neighbor Pakistan was named. Clinton made clear in her remarks Saturday the MNNA status announcement was not directed at Pakistan or any other country in the region.
"[The U.S.-Afghan] Strategic Partnership Agreement is not aimed at any other country. Our goal is to work with the region and the international community to strengthen Afghanistan's institutions so that the transition is successful and the Afghan people themselves can take responsibility," Clinton said.
From Islamabad, where Clinton will meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, she will continue onto Tokyo, Japan to participate in the Tokyo Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan. Here, around 70 countries will meet to decide whether a $4 billion request for aid from Afghanistan will be fulfilled.
When asked about the possibility of the aid being granted, Clinton said "I'm encouraged by what I'm hearing," adding the U.S. will continue to make substantial commitments in line with past aid provided.
The Strategic Partnership entered into force on U.S. Independence Day. Soon afterward, on July 6, President Barack Obama authorized the MNNA status for Afghanistan.
The 14 other MNNA countries include Australia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, New Zealand, Argentina, Bahrain, the Philippines, Thailand, Kuwait, Morocco and Pakistan.
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