VOA标准英语2011--US, Afghanistan Plan for Military Relati

The American and Afghan defense¹ chiefs met Wednesday at the Pentagon and said they are working to develop a bilateral² relationship that will extend beyond the hoped-for end of NATO's combat role in Afghanistan four years from now.
This was the first meeting of what the two defense ministers hope will become a regular strategic dialogue between their departments. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the goal is to establish the foundation for defense relations beyond the 2014 target date for completing the transition to full Afghan government responsibility for security in the country.
"We hope this inaugural³ meeting of the Security Consultation⁴ Forum⁵ is an important milestone⁶ in our relationship," said Gates. "And we hope it will serve as a regular means for providing important strategic direction to our relationship."
Gates said the dialogue will set shared expectations and goals for the U.S.-Afghan defense relationship and will demonstrate the two governments are committed to "putting Afghanistan on a path toward stability and security."
As the meeting opened, Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak endorsed⁷ the concept, and the need for some sort of continuing defense relationship after the transition to full Afghan responsibility.
"We do strongly believe that for Afghanistan to be able to survive in that very volatile⁸ region it will need your help beyond 2014," said Wardak.
Afghanistan has made significant progress on building its security forces, Wardak said, but will continue to need U.S. help as it moves toward and beyond the transition.
There are currently nearly 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but President Barack Obama said that number will begin to come down in July. Officials expect a gradual withdrawal⁹ during the next four years, with some support troops remaining even after the end of 2014.
The United States is scheduled to complete a similar transition in Iraq this year. There, U.S. combat operations ended last August and all the troops are to be out by the end of the year.
U.S. officials hope Iraq will ask for some small continued presence - like the one they expect in Afghanistan - to provide air power and support services, and to act as a stabilizing¹⁰ influence to balance sectarian tension. But there has been no discussion toward any such agreement, partly because the new Iraqi government has not yet named a defense minister.

1 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。

2 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

3 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

4 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

5 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

6 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

7 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

9 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

10 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句