"We believe this is the time for a fresh start: to come together with the new Afghan leadership to agree on the way forward, to agree on a binding road map in the main areas of security, reconstruction, reconciliation, good governance, and the fight against corruption,"  Ambassador Klaus Scharioth said in a recent speech to the US Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on the German strategic concept for comprehensive security in Afghanistan.

With a new Afghan Government to take office in a few months, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have proposed an international conference on Afghanistan, and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has laid out “10 steps for Afghanistan.”

“Together with the new Afghan President we will have to develop a detailed road map defining our future cooperation in concrete terms, agreeing on clear criteria, binding targets and a timeline as well as effective measures for monitoring implementation,” Scharioth said on September 16. “We will have to address the question of when and how the entire responsibility for Afghanistan’s security can gradually be transferred to Afghan hands.”

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German soldiers on patrol at a market near Kunduz

(© dpa - Report)

Ambassador Scharioth underscored the importance of Germany and the United States and their allies working together in  Afghanistan. “Afghanistan is a prime example of how the character of international conflict has changed in our increasingly interdependent world,” Scharioth said. “It illustrates that no country, no matter how powerful, can successfully counter today’s threats alone. These threats do not stop at borders. Our strategies must take this into account. We are in this together - we must act together. And only cooperation at all levels will enable us to succeed.”

But despite vital progress achieved by allies engaged in Afghanistan over the years—improved access to medical facilities, new roads and infrastructure, access to education—the overall security situation has deteriorated in recent months, Scharioth said.

Comprehensive Approach is Way Forward

In countering increased threats to security by the Taliban, the comprehensive civil-military approach in Afghanistan that Germany has long championed is “the most promising way forward,” Scharioth said. He welcomed the fact that the United States, under the command of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, now shares this approach. The Comprehensive Approach, Scharioth said, means using a coordinated mix of instruments, including military, police, justice, economic development and governance, all while remaining mindful of Afghanistan’s historic and cultural setting.

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A woman is photographed as part of election registration in November 2008.

(© picture-alliance/dpa)

Ambassador Scharioth highlighted the work of Germany’s Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in the northern part of the country, where Germany has responsibility for the Regional Command North within the NATO-led ISAF. “The main priority of the PRT’s civilian activities is to promote political, economic and social reconstruction while the soldiers provide the secure environment indispensable to fulfill that task.”

Germany’s ongoing commitment

Militarily, Germany has raised its troop ceiling to 4,500 soldiers and Germany remains the third largest troop contributor in Afghanistan. Germany took over the Quick Reaction Force in Afghanistan’s North in 2008. Germany also provides some 50 percent of the intra-operational air transport and most of the aerial reconnaissance for all of Afghanistan.

Germany has also this year increased its efforts in establishing and training Afghan security forces, both army and police. “Our total commitment to building Afghan security forces and civilian reconstruction through 2010 stands at over 1.2 billion euros (about $1.7 billion),” Scharioth said. Police training is just as important, and Germany provides roughly 20 percent of the police trainers for the EU police training mission and runs bilateral training programs. “We believe that Afghan security forces that are able to sustainably secure their country are key to a viable exit strategy.”

Scharioth highlighted the importance of the new internationally agreed upon focus on providing security for the Afghan people to enable them to rebuild their country.

 “In the end, it is the Afghans themselves who will have to take their security as well as the welfare of their country into their own hands. Once the Afghans are able to take care of their own security, we will be able to bring our troops home.”