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RUMSFELD: NATO SHOULD PULL OUT OF BOSNIA Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called today for a reduction of the 18,000 NATO peacekeeping troops in Bosnia "by at least 6,000" not later than next year, according to Reuters. ( http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011218/ts/nato_balkans_dc_1.html ) Washington, which is fielding some 3,100 of the mostly European peacekeepers, has reiterated recently its mantra of "in together-out together." But diplomats said Rumsfeld appeared to be pushing the pace of a wind-down to help release military resources for the U.S.-led campaign against international terrorism. Rumsfeld said there was a time when military forces would declare victory and go home after accomplishing missions. In "Bosnia Mission Weakens U.S. Military," ( http://www.cato.org/dailys/12-08-98.html ) foreign policy analyst Gary Dempsey finds that over the past decade, the U.S. Army has been used in 29 significant overseas operations, compared with 10 during the preceding 40 years. The strain of that pace has had a negative impact on readiness and morale. The Cato Handbook for Congress recommends ( http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb106/hb106-45.pdf ) that the United States initiate a comprehensive review of existing U.S. security commitments and jettison those that are not clearly linked to vital national security interests. It should also review the defense budget and make the necessary reductions to bring it in line with a security strategy based on the defense of vital national security interests and non-interventionism. ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
