Stardate 20011109.1222 (On Screen): The Dutch government will commit a substantial (for it) force to our war in Afghanistan. It consists of a fair number of aircraft and some ships. The aircraft consist of six F-16 fighter planes, several transport aircraft, four Orion search planes, a refueling plane. But what possible good does a Dutch submarine do us? I don't understand why so many nations want to send ships. Aircraft and ground forces we can use (
especially air tankers), but the only ships which would do any good would be carriers and ships armed with cruise missiles, and I doubt that the Dutch have that capability. For that matter, it's not clear what good six Dutch F-16's will be if they don't participate in combat operations (as was claimed). When I was a kid, my grandmother taught me the following song:
Mother, may I go out for a swim?
Yes, my darling daughter.
Hang your clothes on the hickory limb,
But don't go near the water.
So of this lot, it looks like the only real asset is the lone air tanker they're sending, since their transports will probably spend their time hauling supplies for themselves. That air tanker will be most welcome. The rest will simply consume supplies. The inescapable conclusion is that these gestures of support are primarily political. They don't appear to be militarily significant. (By contrast, the assignment of Australian ground forces to the theater may well be very valuable when the time comes.) (discuss)
