The United States will seek more pledges from Nato member countries today toward the goal of raising €1 billion a year that would help Afghanistan pay for its security forces, according to a US defence official.
The United States is making progress in getting commitments for the funds and will seek to line up more pledges when the defence and foreign ministers of Nato allies meet in Brussels today, according to the official.
The official declined to say how much money has been pledged. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plan to attend the session being held in Brussels and the next day to prepare for a Nato summit in Chicago next month.
The United States estimates the cost of maintaining the Afghan army and police at $4 billion (€3 billion) to $6 billion a year, depending on the size of the force. The goal is to raise the €1 billion a year from allies to supplement funding from the United States and the Afghan government as the coalition draws down its forces.
Afghan soldiers and police officers totalled about 337,000 in mid-March and are scheduled to reach 352,000 this year. The coalition has agreed with Afghan leaders to begin paring the force after 2014 to about 230,000.
While no final decisions are expected in Brussels, the ministers' meeting will provide an opportunity to consult and to iron out issues before the Chicago gathering, according to a second US defence official said.
On the agenda in Chicago will be the pace for shifting security responsibility to Afghan forces in advance of the planned departure of most coalition troops by the end of 2014.
Defence ministers will also consult on the alliance's need for technologies and weapons systems over the next 10 years as the United States and European Union nations wrestle with tight budgets. The goal is to pool resources and share capabilities such as airlift, munitions, intelligence and surveillance, missile defence and cybersecurity, said the second US official.
Bloomberg