The day after President Obama approved the deployment of 17,000 additional U.S. troops for Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he will ask NATO allies to also send more troops to help provide security for the country's presidential and provincial elections, scheduled for August. But the secretary says in the long term the allies are more likely to provide civilian help to the Afghan government than additional troops.
奥巴马总统批准向阿富汗增派1万7千名美军后，国防部长盖茨在第二天表示，他将要求北约盟国也增派军队，在阿富汗定于8月举行的总统和地方选举中，协助维持那里的安全。但是盖茨部长说，从长远来看，盟国可能更多地为阿富汗政府提供民事帮助，而不是增派军队。
Gates spoke on his way to Krakow, Poland for a meeting of NATO defense ministers.
盖茨是在前往波兰克拉科夫出席北约国防部长会议途中说这番话的。
The secretary's emphasis on civilian help from NATO reflects the recognition in the U.S. government that the allies have provided just about all the troops they are willing to provide, currently about 32,000. Gates says he still wants more NATO troops for the elections in August, for which he says the commitment has been disappointing, but he says those may be short-term deployments.
盖茨国防部长强调北约应当更多地在民事领域提供帮助，这反映出美国政府认识到，盟国已经提供了他们乐于提供的所有部队，目前是大约3万2千人。盖茨表示，他仍旧希望在8月选举期间能部署更多的北约部队，但是迄今各国在这个问题上的承诺令人失望。不过，盖茨指出，增派的部队可能只是短期部署。
"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 think that it may be, I hope that it may be, easier for our allies to do that than significant troop increases, especially for the longer term," he said.
他说：“我们在加强军事力量的同时，的确需要在民事领域提供更多的帮助，加强民事方面的工作。坦率地说，我认为，对我们的盟国来说，这比大量增派军队要容易一些，特别是从长远来看。”
Secretary Gates says the NATO civilians can help on projects related to improving the performance of the Afghan government, improving the legal system and fighting corruption and the drug trade.
盖茨部长说，北约的文职人员能够在和改善阿富汗政府运作、改善法律系统以及打击腐败和毒品贸易相关的项目中提供帮助。
He also called on NATO members to send more military trainers to Afghanistan to help the effort to increase the size of the country's army to 134,000. The Afghanistan war is not popular in many NATO countries, and many leaders are concerned that sending more troops, who could potentially suffer more casualties, would hurt them with voters, or even bring down their coalitions.
盖茨还呼吁北约成员国向阿富汗派遣更多的军事教官，协助将阿富汗的军队增加到13万4千人。阿富汗战争在不少北约国家中遭到民众的批评，这些国家的很多领导人担心，如果向阿富汗增派军队，而这些军人又可能遭受更多的伤亡，会影响他们在选民中的形像，甚至导致他们的联合政府解体。
President Obama has ordered a senior-level Afghanistan strategy review, with the results expected before he meets with his NATO counterparts at their summit at the beginning of April. But on Tuesday the president approved the deployment of 17,000 more U.S. troops, which will bring the total U.S. commitment to about 55,000 by June.
美国总统奥巴马下令高层官员对阿富汗战略进行审议，预计审议结论将在他4月初与北约各国首脑举行峰会之前做出。星期二，奥巴马批准向阿富汗增派1万7千名美军，这将使美国驻阿富汗军队总数在6月之前达到大约5万5千人。
Secretary Gates says the troops are needed to improve security, regardless of exactly what strategy the president adopts.
国防部长盖茨表示，无论总统采取什么战略，都需要这些部队改善那里的安全局势。
"I think that these additional numbers give us a better chance to provide the kind of security for the population that is necessary, frankly, for economic development and for governance to take hold, and so on," he said.
盖茨说：“我认为，增援部队使我们更有可能为阿富汗人民提供安全环境，坦率地说，这对那里的经济发展和政府治理等都是必要的。”
But the secretary says how long the troops stay, and whether they are replaced when their tours of duty end, will depend on the outcome of the strategy review. He also says the deployments will result in a reduction of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, because some of the units being sent to Afghanistan had been scheduled for Iraq deployments.
但是盖茨表示，这些部队在阿富汗停留多长时间，驻防期满后是否有部队换防，将取决于战略审议结果。盖茨同时透露，向阿富汗增兵，会导致美国减少在伊拉克的军事力量，因为派往阿富汗的一些部队原本是计划前往伊拉克的。
Secretary Gates is the only member of the cabinet of former-President George W. Bush asked to stay on by President Obama, and the Krakow meeting Thursday and Friday is the first time the secretary is meeting with his NATO colleagues since the change of U.S. administrations a month ago. He said he is bringing new message.
盖茨是奥巴马总统要求留任的唯一一名前总统布什的内阁官员。星期四和星期五的克拉科夫会议是一个月前美国政府更迭后盖茨部长首次会晤北约各国国防部长。盖茨说，他将为会议带去新的信息。
"The message is that it is a new administration. And the administration is prepared, as the president's decision made clear yesterday, to make additional commitments to Afghanistan, but there clearly will be expectations that the allies must do more as well," he said.
他说：“这个信息就是，现在有了一个新的政府。正如总统昨天的决定所表明的，这个新政府准备对阿富汗做出更多的承诺，而显然我们期待盟国也同样做出更多努力。”
Secretary Gates also says there are ways non-NATO nations can continue to help in Afghanistan, particularly by providing money to help pay for the army expansion and civilian development projects.
盖茨部长还谈到，非北约国家也能够继续帮助阿富汗，特别是通过提供资金，协助支付军队开支和民用发展项目。 |