Pentagon Will "Find Other Means" If Base Closed
Under pressure from Russian interests, on Thursday Kyrgyzstan's
parliament voted to close Manas Air Base, a key logistics hub for
the US military, but a senior Pentagon official said the base
closure would not affect operations in Afghanistan.
"[Manas Air Base] is an important base for operations in
Afghanistan, but it's not irreplaceable," Pentagon spokesman Bryan
Whitman told reporters Thursday. "If it's not available to us,
we'll find other means."
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev still must sign the bill for
the eviction to be official. If he signs the bill, troops will have
180 days to withdraw, based on a previous agreement made by the US
and Kyrgyz governments, he said.
Pentagon officials are aware of news reports that Bakiyev
intends to close the base, Whitman said, but the United States
hasn't received any official notification or orders to withdraw its
military forces. "Our operations there today remain normal," he
said.
Defense Department officials are considering what it may be able
to offer the Kyrgyz government to continue operations, but will not
agree to any price, Whitman said. Other options in the region are
being considered, he said, but he would not give specifics on
countries or the status of discussions.
"We remain in close contact with allies in the region," he
said.
Russia and Kazakhstan reportedly have given the United States
permission to transport nonlethal equipment and supplies by train
into Afghanistan. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan also reportedly are
being considered.
The United States pays $17.4 million a year to use Manas Air
Base, a major logistical and refueling hub supporting international
troops in Afghanistan. The United States and Kyrgyzstan signed a
"protocol of intentions" in 2006 that allowed the United States to
renew the arrangement in one-year increments through July 2011. The
air base has been facilitating U.S. troops since 2001, shortly
after the Sept. 11 attacks.
About 15,000 people and 500 tons of cargo transit through Manas
each month. About 1,000 troops, most of them American, but some
from France and Spain, are assigned to the base.
President Barack Obama authorized 17,000 more troops this week
to reinforce international forces in Afghanistan, and Whitman said
there will be no disruption in current or future operations
there.
"The announcements we made are going to go forward with no
disruption," he said. "If we are no longer permitted to use that
base, we will start to transition our activities elsewhere."
(Aero-News thanks Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden,
American Forces Press Service)