Everyone following developments in Afghanistan will know of the demand by military commanders on the ground for more international troops to be deployed. A former NATO commander said he needed at least 400,000 troops. Doctrinally, a 20:1,000 security force-to-population ratio is deemed necessary for counter-insurgency operations. That would mean putting at least 200,000 troops into the southern and eastern parts of the country, a figure well beyond NATO’s capability. But there has, in fact, been a steady –- if unknown — increase in the number of NATO troops deployed to Afghanistan, including from Europe:
Clearly this is not enough and numbers do not equal capability – as many of the troops are hampered by so-called “caveats”; various force protection measures, which shield them from the Afghan population; and limited funds to make a non-military impact in their area of operations. But it still shows that the international coalition has sought to improve in the last two years.
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