By David Morgan ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Feb 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday he would ask NATO allies this week for a short-term increase in troops for Afghanistan to provide security for elections due in August. But Gates, speaking to reporters as he flew to a NATO defense ministerial meeting in Poland, said the Obama administration would also seek longer-term NATO assistance for a range of civilian programs ranging from governance and development to police training and funding of the Afghan army. President Barack Obama on Tuesday authorized an additional 17,000 U.S. troops for Afghanistan, including more than 12,000 combat forces, to counter an increasingly fierce Taliban insurgency. "The message is that it is a new administration and the administration ... is prepared to make additional commitments to Afghanistan. But there clearly will be expectations that the allies must do more as well," Gates said. Obama authorized the extra forces while his administration is in the midst of a comprehensive review of Afghan policy that is due before a crucial NATO summit in April. Gates said the deployment of additional forces and longer-term strategic goals of commanders in Afghanistan would depend on the review's outcome. "The timelines and the goals remain to be seen as a result of the strategic review," he said. The trip to the NATO meeting in Krakow is the first overseas venture for Gates as a member of the Democratic Obama administration. He was named defense secretary by former Republican President George W. Bush in 2006 but agreed to stay on under Obama. Gates said he would not seek a specific number of additional NATO troops for election duty. But he said the United States would like to see a short-term deployment of troops from the alliance's response force, known as the NRF, which has never been utilized. "This pre-election period in Afghanistan is a very good example of where the NRF could provide a temporary strengthening of NATO's capabilities in support of the Afghan government and the elections," Gates said. CIVILIAN DEVELOPMENT U.S. officials have long been frustrated by European reluctance to make new long-term troop commitments to the Afghan mission and Gates said it was unlikely that large increases would be forthcoming anytime soon. But he said the Obama administration hopes NATO allies from countries where the Afghanistan mission is politically unpopular can make significant new contributions to civilian development in the violent, impoverished country. "It's more congenial for our allies in terms of their domestic constituencies," he said. "We really need additional help on the civilian side. There needs to be a strengthening on the civilian side as we are strengthening on the military side. And frankly I hope it may be easier for our allies to do that than significant troop increases especially for the longer term." (Editing by Eric Beech)
A U.S. soldier with Alpha Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment provides security during a visit by his unit at Khas Kunar refugee camp, Kunar Province, eastern Afghanistan February 18, 2009. Afghanistan is ...
Afghanistan
