Mark John, 'Analysis: Helicopter Crunch Hobbles Peace Missions', Reuters AlertNet, 27 November 2007
EXCERPT: "In conflicts from Afghanistan to Africa, international efforts to secure peace are being hobbled by a chronic lack of the tool vital to all modern militaries -- helicopters.
"A shortage of top-end machines needed for tropical conditions plus a reluctance of countries to bear the costs of deploying them are being exacerbated by a procurement logjam that means a major renewal of Western fleets is years off. Recent appeals for helicopters by the United Nations, NATO and European Union mission commanders have faced a deafening silence, forcing planners to study second-best options such as 'rent-a-chopper' deals with the private sector.
"The shortage is hitting peacekeeping throughout the world [...] Pointing the finger at Britain's continental allies, Foreign Secretary David Miliband this month questioned how EU countries had only provided 35 helicopters for NATO's 40,000-strong force in Afghanistan and none at all for Darfur. The answer is a mixture of tight purse-strings at defence ministries and a genuine lack of capability that afflicts even big European military powers such as Britain and France.
"Tim Ripley, defence analyst at Jane's Defence Weekly, said the real cost of helicopters was in maintaining and operating them -- especially in the hot and dusty conditions where many conflicts are played out.' This is particularly problematic in areas such as Afghanistan, where the air is thinned by heat and high altitude. 'When we were putting together the requirements for the Afghan mission, we discovered surprisingly few member states' helicopters were up to the job,' said Ripley."
To read the full article, click here.
UPDATE (Nov. 28): 'NATO's Helo Woes', Defensetech.org, 28 November 2007
Related Posts:
'NATO Funds Additional Helicopters in Afghanistan', 27 October 2007
'Coalition
Warfare in Afghanistan: Burden-sharing or Disunity?', 16 October 2007
See also:
Allan Woods, 'Helicopters
will reduce bomb risks, panel says', Toronto Star, 24 October 2007
Photo courtesy of Canada's Department of National Defence.
