General John Allen, the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan, has laid out a strategy for working with Afghan partners to diminish and defeat the threat of insider attacks.
The strategy includes Enhanced training before deployment and in the field that emphasizes cultural awareness, counterintelligence techniques, vigilance and real-time information sharing; Adaptive levels of partnering based on continuous review of threat information; Expanded vetting and counterintelligence operations by coalition forces and Afghan partners; Constant emphasis on effective use of "guardian angels" and other protective measures to deter attackers and ensure a quick response when an attack begins; and Ongoing efforts to analyze attack patterns and develop stronger prevention methods.
Disclosing this at the NATO defense ministers' conference in Brussels on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said he believes these efforts, along with the full partnership of Afghan Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi and Interior Minister Mujtaba Patang, will counter the threat.
Panetta said the enemy intends to use insider attacks to undermine mutual trust and cohesion and drive a wedge between the coalition and its Afghan partners.
"We can only deny the enemy its objective by countering these attacks with all of our strength, and fortifying our resolve with the signs of our progress," the secretary told his NATO counterparts.
The problem of insider attacks is not what tests the alliance, Panetta said. "What tests us is how we respond to them," he told his fellow ministers. "Still deeper partnerships, still deeper integration -- those are the responses that will frustrate the enemy's designs to capitalize on this problem."
Panetta urged unity among the defense ministers in their thinking about the mission in Afghanistan.
"We, the defense leaders of this historic alliance, preserve a legacy of mutual determination and sacrifice in the face of danger and difficulty," he said. "By uniting our powers to finish the long fight in Afghanistan, we will honor that legacy and pass it intact to future generations in the North Atlantic area and beyond," he added.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com