Speaking today at a news conference in Germany, President Barack Obama said that his “focus on Pakistan does not envision NATO troop activities in Pakistan.” The comments were a more direct echo of an interview earlier this week in which he appeared to rule out, in the near term, boots on the ground in Pakistan while pledging to continue to “adjust” his strategy over time.
Rather than troops, Obama pressured for NATO members to focus on helping the Pakistani government, though he has failed to gain any materially meaningful additional support for the mission in Afghanistan, and with the global economy struggling most NATO members aren’t looking for new missions to throw money at.
That doesn’t seem to phase the Pentagon, which is expected to pressure Congress for another $3 billion in aid to the Pakistani military, to go along with the additional $5 billion in civilian aid the Obama Administration included in their “comprehensive” strategy.