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게이츠 미국방, 지난 5일 '아프칸파병 우방국에 지뢰방호장갑차[MRAP] 판매-제공' 약속

미 국방부 제공사진


로버트 게이츠 미국방장관이 지난 5일 터키에서 미국은 실정법상 제약에도 불구하고 아프가니스탄에 참전중인 우방국들에게
지뢰방호장갑차[MRAP :  mine-resistant, ambush-protected]를 공급해아 한다고 역설했습니다

게이츠 국방장관은 지난 5일 터키 이스탄불에서 열린 나토국방장관회담을 마친뒤 기자회견에서 '미국은
미국의 실정법이 어떤 제약을 가하고 있든지간에 우방국들에게 가능한 한 빨리, 가능한 한 많은 MRAP를 공급해야 한다.
특히 위험지역에서 작전중인 국가들에게 (공급해야 한다)'고 밝혔습니다 
The United States will now do whatever we can, within the limits of U.S. law, and as soon as we can, to provide as many surplus MRAPs as possible to allies, especially those operating in high-risk areas.[게이츠 언급 원문]

게이츠 국방장관은 또 MRAP는 물론 지뢰제거로봇과 지뢰탐지레이더도 판매하고 구입자금을 대여하고 기증할 것이라고
약속했습니다 
Today I told our allies that going forward, the United States will be able to offer them more intelligence, training and equipment, including jammers, route clearance robots, surveillance systems and ground penetrating radars.[게이츠 언급 원문]

게이츠 장관은 MRAP가 아프가니스탄에서 수천명의 목숨을 구한 신뢰성 높은 방호차량이라고 강조했습니다

게이츠 장관은 일문일답에서 M-ATV에 대한 질문을 받고 MRAP와 달리 M-ATV는 이제 막 무대에 올라오는 장비라며
충분한 시험을 거치지 못해 당장 공급은 힘들다는 의견을 표명했습니다
We are not in that position with the all-terrain vehicles, which are just now going into the theater.
[게이츠 언급 원문] 

게이츠 장관의 회견뒤 미국관리들은 이미 몇몇 국가들이 최신장비인 M-ATV [MRAP ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE] 에 대해
관심을 표했다며 이 차량에 대해서도 공급가능한 시기가 되면 신속히 처리하겠다고 밝혔습니다

현재 미국은 아프가니스탄에서 활동중인 폴란드군에게 MRAP 약 50대를 임대해줬으며 폴란드가 미국외에 MRAP를
사용하는 유일한 국가입니다 

미국은 MRAP를 이라크에 약 8천5백대, 아프가니스탄에 4천1백대, 쿠웨이트와 카타르,바레인에 2천2백대가량 운용하고
있으며 M-ATV는 아프가니스탄에서 8백대를 운용하고 있습니다


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로버트 게이츠 기자회견 및 일문일답 : 2010년 2월 5일 터키 이스탄불
출처 : 미국방부 웹사이트
http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4560
Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates February 05, 2010

Press Conference with Secretary Gates from Istanbul, Turkey

                SEC. GATES:  First of all, I would like to apologize for the brevity of this press conference.  I have to leave at a quarter till to keep an appointment with the prime minister in Ankara.

 

                For the past two days we've had a series of productive meetings for NATO, our current operations and our priorities as we prepare for the threats of the 21st century.  We just wrapped up a lengthy session on Afghanistan, far and away the most important mission for NATO and the other troop-contributing nations.

 

                As you know, this is the first ministerial since President Obama committed 30,000 additional troops in December.  Thousands of them have already arrived, as well as more civilian resources.  And the goal of this strategy is to quickly reverse the Taliban's momentum, secure the population and redouble efforts to build Afghan national security forces, so that they can take over security responsibility as conditions permit.

 

                I thank all of those nations that have stepped forward with additional commitments, ensuring General McChrystal will soon have nearly all the combat forces he asked for.

 

                However, more trainers are needed, and needed immediately.  I pressed the alliance to meet the long-standing demands of thousands more instructors and mentors for the Afghan army and police.  As more Afghans join their nation's security forces, we have to be able to train them in order to get them into the fight as quickly as possible.

 

                The biggest threat to all of our forces, Afghan and coalition alike, remains IEDs.  We discussed collective efforts to defeat this tactic and destroy the networks that employ IEDs.  Today I told our allies that going forward, the United States will be able to offer them more intelligence, training and equipment, including jammers, route clearance robots, surveillance systems and ground penetrating radars.

 

                Of course, these tools will never be able to prevent all IED attacks.  We have learned the hard way that the most effective last line of defense for our troops is the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP.  They have saved thousands of limbs and lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The United States will now do whatever we can, within the limits of U.S. law, and as soon as we can, to provide as many surplus MRAPs as possible to allies, especially those operating in high-risk areas.

 

                This is a critical moment in Afghanistan.  With a new comprehensive strategy and new resources commensurate with the size and scale of the mission, I believe the pieces are being put in place to make real measurable progress.  Just yesterday, General McChrystal said that additional forces are already having an impact, and that although the situation remains serious, he no longer believes that it is deteriorating. 

 

                I'm confident that we can achieve our objectives, but only if the coalition continues to muster the resolve for this difficult and dangerous mission.  That sense of urgency has to carry over to other aspects of the alliance, since our effectiveness on battlefields is directly related to our institutional strength.  Whether the issue is missile defense, which I believe gives real meaning to Article 5, or developing a new strategic concept, the alliance must make necessary changes to respond to new security challenges. 

 

                The current NATO budget crisis illustrates how imperative it is for us to fundamentally reform how we set priorities and allocate resources.  In the short term, we need to provide our troops in the field the resources they need and fund other urgent priorities, such as missile defense.  All other expenditures have to be thoroughly scrutinized. 

 

                As we reform NATO, nothing should be off-limits, especially excess infrastructure and outdated command structures that bear little resemblance to our real-world needs.  That is why I strongly support the secretary-general's initiative to provide far-reaching proposals for the ministers for cuts and reforms for discussion at our next meeting.  If we come together and make the right choices, both operationally and institutionally, this will continue to be the most successful military alliance in history. 

 

                I have time for a couple of questions.

 

                Q     (Off mike) -- IEDs, if you could put a dollar amount on that.  And also that this -- (off mike) -- an issue for several years.  Why do this now?  Is this because forces are drawing down in Iraq that you are able to provide assistance?

 

                SEC. GATES:  It is certainly is.  But first of all, I think that the dollar amounts that we're talking about are not -- are not gigantic, and I think -- I think quite manageable.  We are all in this together, and doing what we can as allies to help each other, I think, is critical. 

 

                You put your finger on the potential availability of MRAPs.  Only with the drawdowns in Iraq are we in a position to be able to try and provide or sell some MRAPs to our allies.

 

                U.S. law requires that all the needs of U.S. troops be met before we can provide surplus equipment to others.  We are in that position, I think, or close to it, with the regular MRAPs that we've had in Iraq.  We are not in that position with the all-terrain vehicles, which are just now going into the theater.  So what we are looking at is the kind of MRAPs we've had in Iraq, which are very good on roads.  They do not have the off-road capability of the all-terrain vehicles, but they are certainly better protection than our allies have right now.

 

                Q     (Off mike) -- Mr. Secretary -- (off mike) -- Americans in Helmand.  So -- (off mike).  And will Georgian soldiers take part in this operation -- (off mike)?

 

                SEC. GATES:  I honestly don't know whether Georgian soldiers will be participating in that operation.

 

                Q     Mr. Secretary, do you think Turkey has a role to play in missile defense?  If so, what is this role?  (Off mike)?

 

                SEC. GATES:  Well, I think that what I -- rather than single Turkey out, what I would say is that what we have done is -- what I said this morning was that the United States will -- considers the phased adaptive approach for missile defense to be our national contribution to a NATO-wide missile defense.  So the two are complementary.  And obviously the wider participation by other NATO members in NATO missile defense, the better it will be for the entire alliance.

 

                As I say, I think that it's important.  It's a manifestation of our -- of our collective defense.  And I would say that another virtue of it is the open invitation for the Russians to participate with us.

 

                STAFF:  (Off mike.)

 

                Q     Mr. Gates, what's new about the strategy -- (off mike) – combat troops are now pushing forward to the south?  And how many of the 30,000 troops you are sending to Afghanistan now will be involved in the training mission?

 

                SEC. GATES:  Well, I think that the biggest -- the biggest change in the strategy, in my view, is General McChrystal's view that success is measured not by the number of Taliban that are killed but by the number of Afghans who are protected, the number of Afghan citizens who are protected. 

 

                The additional forces are intended in the south -- mainly in the south, and to a lesser extent in the east -- to provide the kind of protection for the Afghan people that will prevent them from being attacked by the Taliban. 

               

                And I would say our basic strategy is, is to reverse the momentum of the Taliban; to deny them control of population centers and production centers; and then third, degrade their capabilities to the point where a larger and better-trained Afghan national security force can manage the Taliban threat on a domestic basis and so that the security presence from the -- from ISAF can begin to diminish. 

 

                So the additional troops are really more about providing population protection than they are more people getting into the fight, if you will, directly with the Taliban, although that certainly is going to be the case at the front end.

 

                Last question.

 

                Q    (Off mike. Did you also discuss .. some of the Taliban members that don’t have anything to do with the violence … off mike)

 

                SEC. GATES:  Well, I think it has gone without saying that, as we've seen in Iraq, these kinds of conflicts at the end always involve some kind of political outcome.  And I think the key is, when talking about that kind of an outcome, that the key is to do this on the terms of the Afghan government; that if Taliban want to come over and join the political process, that it's on the terms of the Afghan government in terms of they're putting their arms down, agreeing to submit to the constitution and so on.  And President Karzai is working through a more detailed strategy on this right now, and we will work -- obviously work with him on that.

 

                But again as I say, I think that at the end, this needs to be consistent with the Afghan constitution and on the terms of the Afghan government.   Thank you all. 



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http://www.defencetalk.com/mine-resistant-mrap-vehicles-to-allies-24089/
Gates Pledges Mine-resistant Vehicles to Allies

ISTANBUL: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today pledged surplus mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles along with expanded access to classified information to U.S. allies to help in combating the threat of improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan.

The United States will now do whatever we can within the limits of U.S. law, and as soon as we can, to provide as many surplus MRAPs as possible to allies, especially to those operating in high-risk areas,” Gates said at a news conference here after meeting with the defense ministers of 44 International Security Assistance Force partner nations.

Gates promised to sell, loan or donate surplus U.S. bomb-detecting equipment, including the MRAPs, along with route-clearing robots and ground-penetrating radars.

Gates credited the MRAP vehicles with already saving “thousands of lives” in Afghanistan.

The MRAPs that are likely to make their way to allied forces are those that are coming from Iraq. Gates said the drawdown there has given U.S. forces a surplus of the vehicles. Law dictates that the needs of U.S. troops must be met first before any such equipment can be sold or loaned to other countries.

The MRAPs in Iraq are the older versions more suited for on-road travel, as opposed to the newer all-terrain vehicles known as M-ATVs now being fielded in Afghanistan. Still, Gates said, they are better protection against the killer bombs than what the allies are using now.

A U.S. official speaking after the announcement said some countries have expressed interest in buying the newer M-ATVs, and that sales of those vehicles will be expedited when possible.

The United States currently has loaned about 50 MRAPs to Polish forces fighting in Afghanistan. They are the only other country’s forces to use the vehicles.

About 8,500 MRAPs are in Iraq, and more than 4,100 are in Afghanistan. About 2,200 more are in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. The United States has fielded about 800 M-ATVs in Afghanistan.

Gates traveled here yesterday to meet with NATO and ISAF partners partly to lobby for more trainers and mentors needed to bolster the efforts in Afghanistan. NATO has committed to sending about 9,000 extra troops.

Nearly all of the 40,000 combat troops requested by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, have been committed, but about 4,000 more trainers and mentors are needed.

Another meeting is planned for the end of this month in which commitments will have to be made. The two-day conference here is the start of the efforts to persuade the partners -- many of whom already had planned to reduce the number of their forces in Afghanistan -- to deliver more troops.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said today that Gates’ promise of more counter-IED support will help to bolster that commitment from ISAF partners. In fact, Rasmussen said, NATO has outlined its priorities, with fighting the IED threat at the top of the list.

Gates called on NATO to provide more trainers, saying they are “needed immediately,” and that “this is a critical moment in Afghanistan.”

The secretary said that the newly implemented U.S. strategy, alongside fresh NATO and ISAF resources, will pave the way for success in Afghanistan.

“I believe the pieces are being put in place to make real and measurable progress,” Gates said. “I’m confident that we can achieve our objectives, but only if the coalition can muster the resolve for this difficult and dangerous mission.”
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美 `지뢰방호장갑차 한국에 판매`  - 원본출처 연합뉴스 2010.02.17 21:31 입력 http://news.joins.com/article/772/4017772.html?ctg=1000
미국은 아프가니스탄에 파병되는 우리 군이 운용할 지뢰.방호장갑차량(MRAP)을 판매하겠다는 의향을 밝힌 것으로 확인됐다.

군 관계자는 17일 "미국이 비공식적으로 우리 정부에 MRAP을 판매하겠다는 의사를 표시했다"면서 "미국이 이달 말까지 공식 판매의향서(LOA)를 보내오면 이 장비를 구매할 것"이라고 밝혔다.

그는 "애초 MRAP보다 장비 규모가 적은 MATV형 장갑차 구매를 희망했으나 미측은 MATV가 개발 중인 장비라면서 난색을 표명했다"며 "결국 MRAP을 구매하는 쪽으로 결론이 났다"고 말했다.

군은 5~7인승 MRAP 10~20여대를 구매해 오는 7월 파병되는 아프간 국군부대에 배치할 것으로 알려졌다.

미국은 지난 2007년부터 MRAP 770여대를 아프간과 이라크에 배치해 운용 중이다.

또 미국은 탈레반 세력들이 도로에 매설한 급조폭발물을 탐지 제거하는 로봇도 한국에 판매하겠다는 의사를 피력한 것으로 알려졌다.

현재 미군은 이라크와 아프간에서 IED 탐지.제거 로봇인 '밥캣'과 '탈론' 등을 운용하고 있다.

아프간에서 활동할 PRT(민간재건팀) 요원을 경비, 보호하는 임무를 수행하는 우리 군부대에 MRAP과 IED 탐지.제거 로봇이 배치되면 IED 폭발로 인한 피해를 최대한 막을 수 있을 것으로 전망된다. (연합뉴스)