Parliament to be recalled re: Taliban in Afghanistan

BREAKING: U.S President Joe Biden refuses to extend the deadline of 31/8/2021 for Evacuation and withdrawal of troops and Afghan citizens. Meanwhile, UN says there are credible reports the Taliban are conducting summary executions of Afghans.

The U.K and France - two countries which I think share a lot of resources - need to look at reducing their dependence on America for these kinds of operations. Why is it we cannot operate in that region independently from America? I know we've been cutting the military for years but what precisely do we need to be able to have an independent ability to maintain a presence in a place like Afghanistan?

Originally Posted by Damien

The U.K and France - two countries which I think share a lot of resources - need to look at reducing their dependence on America for these kinds of operations. Why is it we cannot operate in that region independently from America? I know we've been cutting the military for years but what precisely do we need to be able to have an independent ability to maintain a presence in a place like Afghanistan?

If it was sufficiently in our strategic interest, we could do it. There’s no hard and fast reason that would make it impossible. The problem in Kabul is a tactical one. The US has about 6,000 personnel there, some of them in quite specific skilled roles (like running air traffic control). The British military has about 1,000 personnel at the airport and the force is not configured to simply take over an operation like that at short notice. Why would we, when the whole thing was planned on the understanding that the Americans were handling that side of it?

The pressing strategic question now is how reliable an ally America really is. The UK and France already undertake a lot of defence cooperation and now would be a good time for us together to think about how we configure our forces to undertake operations relevant to our regional security. I also think that the strategic assumptions around the operation of the new QE-class carriers is flawed if it is possible for American retrenchment to effectively force them into port (an unlikely scenario I admit but at present the air wing is partly comprised of USMC F-35Bs and the carrier strike group includes a US navy destroyer). Particularly with regards to the aircraft the whole show has been planned on the assumption that there will always be a USMC detachment on board, even after we have taken delivery of all our F-35Bs, seeing as we have only ordered 48 of them.

I doubt very much of this will be spoken aloud anywhere but you can bet they’re thinking about it carefully at the MoD.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Chris

If it was sufficiently in our strategic interest, we could do it. There’s no hard and fast reason that would make it impossible. The problem in Kabul is a tactical one. The US has about 6,000 personnel there, some of them in quite specific skilled roles (like running air traffic control). The British military has about 1,000 personnel at the airport and the force is not configured to simply take over an operation like that at short notice. Why would we, when the whole thing was planned on the understanding that the Americans were handling that side of it?

The pressing strategic question now is how reliable an ally America really is. The UK and France already undertake a lot of defence cooperation and now would be a good time for us together to think about how we configure our forces to undertake operations relevant to our regional security. I also think that the strategic assumptions around the operation of the new QE-class carriers is flawed if it is possible for American retrenchment to effectively force them into port (an unlikely scenario I admit but at present the air wing is partly comprised of USMC F-35Bs and the carrier strike group includes a US navy destroyer). Particularly with regards to the aircraft the whole show has been planned on the assumption that there will always be a USMC detachment on board, even after we have taken delivery of all our F-35Bs, seeing as we have only ordered 48 of them.

I doubt very much of this will be spoken aloud anywhere but you can bet they’re thinking about it carefully at the MoD.

Ignored by Washington and mistrusted in Europe, we need a re-think if we are going to live up to the Global Britain strapline.

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Ignored by Washington and mistrusted in Europe, we need a re-think if we are going to live up to the Global Britain strapline.

You should write straplines for the Grauniad.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by Chris

You should write straplines for the Grauniad.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Chris

You should write straplines for the Grauniad.

Wise cracks aside, I believe we do need a re-think.

France seems to have adopted a more independent approach, certainly as far as Afghanistan goes. It began evacuating Afghans working for its embassy and other French organisations in May; months before the Taliban regained power.

France was accused of being overly pessimistic about the impact Biden’s announcement of a full US military withdrawal by September would have on the ground. By contrast, the UK has bound itself tightly to the actions of the US leading to the panicked evacuations we've witnessed.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-08-31/...-not-a-holiday

Boris Johnson is "away" with his family in England's West Country, Number 10 has revealed, but his spokesman insisted the prime minister is not on holiday.

The PM headed off for a four-day break away from Downing Street on Sunday, after the final British troops left Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

But Downing Street insisted the PM was "continuing to work" as Britons and Afghans remained stranded after the withdrawal of forces from Kabul.

His spokesman refused to say Mr Johnson's time away amounted to a holiday in the face of repeated questioning from journalists at Monday's behind-closed-doors media briefing.

Spokesman’s statement

The Prime Minister is away for the next two days in the west of England but is continuing to work and will be back in the office in Downing Street on Thursday.

“He left on Sunday, I believe.”

Asked if the trip was a holiday, he said: “He is away, as I say, out of the office for a couple of days but he is working.”

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Hugh

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-08-31/...-not-a-holiday

He's wfh(oliday). The poor sausage does work hard you know.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Mr K

He's wfh(oliday). The poor sausage does work hard you know.

We know that.

But what about Johnson?

[pip08456]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

We know that.

But what about Johnson?

What about him? What exactly do you expect him to do?

I seriously doubt hes out of contact, so what's the issue exactly ?

[Julian]

He has to be sat at a desk in case some bellend with a few animals needs some help.

[tweetiepooh]

Is it government or civil service at fault? Or both? I doubt ministers process documents etc, it's the civil servants. So unless something major needs actioning in which case I'm sure he will be contactable the day to day running will still happen.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Julian

He has to be sat at a desk in case some bellend with a few animals needs some help.

How else will he answer the abusive phone call when said bellend can't get his own way