Committee on
Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee
on Europe
Statement of
Rep. Elton Gallegly
April
23, 2008
I would like to thank you Mr. Chairman for holding
this hearing on the Bucharest Summit and the future direction of NATO. I only have a short statement because I want
to turn the floor over to our two distinguished witnesses to hear their
statements.
As we all are aware, there are several important issues
facing the Alliance, including the continued enlargement of NATO, its operations
in Kosovo, and the deployment of a missile defense system in Eastern
Europe.
However, I believe that by far the most critical test for
NATO is how it responds to the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Therefore, I look forward to listening to
both Assistant Secretary Fried and Deputy Assistant Secretary Fata for their
perspective regarding the commitment of our NATO allies to the battle against
the Taliban in that country.
There is no doubt the NATO members have publicly and I am
sure privately expressed solidarity and strong support for the NATO mission in Afghanistan. I believe they recognize that this is crucial
test for the Alliance – a test that is being
closely watched not only in the Middle East
but by countries throughout the world who are taking measure of NATO and
whether it is willing to follow through on its security commitments.
This is test that the Alliance
cannot afford to fail. Therefore, I
would like an assessment regarding how many years our allies will be with us in
Afghanistan
and whether they willing to fight and take casualties if necessary to prevent a
Taliban victory. I would also like to
know if the people of Europe are supportive of their own countries sending
troops to fight in Afghanistan. Without public support, the governments of the
NATO member states will not be able to sustain a long-term effort to win in Afghanistan.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on the war in Afghanistan and
the other issues impacting the future of NATO.