US to cut $800M from Pakistani Military Aid
July 11th, 2011In an effort to get more compliance out of the Pakistani government, the US Defense Department announced that it would be witholding $800 million in foreign aid to the country until both sides can come to an agreement on the nature of the alliance.
According to Bill Daley, the White House Chief of Staff, actions by the Pakistani military have given the administration “reason to pause on some of the aid” that is being sent to train Pakistani troops in counter-terrorism activities. Among the complaints issued by the federal government include difficulty for military trainers to obtain visas to help train security troops, as well as the finding of Osama bin Laden in a wealthy neighborhood that is near a military training camp. Islamabad has since ordered a massive cutback in US military trainers, as well as a closure of a CIA base within the country that has been the original destination for drone attacks that have killed nearly as many citizens as it has soldiers.
It might be to both nations’ advantage to not reinstate the funds, even when the two nations resolve their differences. According to a top official in the Pakistani army, they don’t need the $800 million to do its job, saying that they don’t need “any external support whatsoever” to do its job. However, the US still gives Pakistan nearly $2 billion for its military. Does this mean that we should withdraw all military support from the country? I think if they don’t want or need the aid, the Defense Department could do the taxpayers, and the budget, a favor in cutting the aid permanently.
