Defense Secretary Robert Gates talks with members of the media after visiting wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center Wednesday at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Gates is en route to Brussels for a two day conference with NATO Alliance defense ministers. (Ben Bloker / S&S)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday that he plans to strongly urge NATO allies at a two-day conference in Brussels to send more troops to help in Afghanistan.
Gates talked about the need for European allies to offer more help after stopping at Ramstein and visiting Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. He also met at U.S. European Command headquarters for briefings on Wednesday before heading to Belgium for an annual meeting of NATO defense leaders, beginning Thursday.
He told reporters at a media roundtable within earshot of this air base’s runway that boosting training in Afghanistan is a top priority.
“The training issues clearly are important — principally for the police, not for the Afghan Army,” Gates said. “About two-thirds of the requirement for trainers is for police trainers. So, in the end, we need to continue and intensify the efforts on institution building and economic development and reconstruction.”
NATO countries have been pressured by U.S military and policy leaders to follow through with troop commitments. Gates said some countries have stepped up and recently offered to add more troops or keep their soldiers in Afghanistan longer. He declined to name the nations that made such commitments because he said that information should come from the countries offering the additional help.
“I think countries are taking this seriously, and so I will continue to press in Brussels,” he said.
There are more than 30,000 troops that make up the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. American troops make up the majority of the force.
Missile defense also plans to be an issue at the NATO conference. He said he plans to meet with the Russian defense minister to discuss President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to place a missile defense radar site in Azerbaijan.
“I’m very pleased that President Putin acknowledged that there is merit to missile defense, that Iran does present a problem that needs to be dealt with in terms of potential missile defense,” he said. “So, I think there is a basis for having some good conversations.”
