VOA常速英语2008年-NATO Commander Says More Troops Needed in Afgha

By Al Pessin
Munich
10 February 2008

The commander of NATO's military forces is disputing critics who say the alliance is losing in Afghanistan, but he said it is not winning fast enough, and he called for member nations to provide more troops. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Munich, where General John Craddock spoke¹ to reporters attending the annual European Security Conference.

General Craddock added his weight to repeated calls by U.S. Defense² Secretary Robert Gates for European nations to send more troops to participate in the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

"We are not losing, we are just not winning fast enough," said General Craddock. "I am convinced that if we had what we need that we would see more progress. Look, the fact of the matter is the opposing militant³ forces operate in the space between what we have and what we need. Fill the space up and you take away their operating space. Advantage, NATO."

General Craddock noted⁴ that when NATO took on the Afghanistan security mission, starting in 2005, its military branch determined⁵ how many forces and what types of military capabilities⁶ would be needed. All 26 member nations have sent contingents⁷, but the total force remains⁸ short of aircraft, intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities and about 7,000 troops.

"Had we the forces that we asked for and we have been told approved, and they came with no restrictions⁹, caveats¹⁰, we would see significant difference in progress," he said. "It would be much faster and better in the security-stability arena¹¹."

General Craddock indicated he is frustrated¹² at the criticism of NATO's performance in Afghanistan, considering the ongoing¹³ shortages.

"How can we be graded on how well we are doing when we do not even have what we need to do what we were told to do? Give us the resources," said Craddock. "Give us what we were told. We said, 'Here is the mission that you told us, here is what we need.' They said, 'Go ahead and do it,' the nations of the alliance. Now we need those resources. And I think, [if] we get them, you will see some more progress."

General Craddock recently launched a new system for measuring progress in Afghanistan. The general says the first review, conducted last month, covers security, governance and economic development.

"We see very minor¹⁴ small progress on the first two," he said. "It is inching forward. It is progress. It is a little better in some areas. In some areas it is not. And on the third one, the development, based on what we have, it appears to be stuck top dead center right now."

General Craddock says that could be because all the NATO governments and private groups working in Afghanistan do not have a coordinated¹⁵ reporting system, something the alliance hopes to change by appointing a civilian¹⁶ coordinator¹⁷ for its Afghan mission. That, the troop shortage, and other aspects of the troubled effort will be high on the agenda when NATO's top leaders meet at a summit in Romania in April.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 contingents   

（志趣相投、尤指来自同一地方的）一组与会者( contingent的名词复数 )； 代表团； （军队的）分遣队； 小分队

参考例句：

• We were forced to rely on French contingents. 我们势必被迫依恃法国驻军。
• The internal security forces are composed of contingents and mobile divisions. 内卫部队由各总队和机动师组成。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 caveats   

警告

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling. 为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。 来自辞典例句
• As I have written before, that's quite a caveat. 正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。 来自互联网

11 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

12 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

14 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

15 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

16 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

17 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？