Gates wins no promises on Asia trip for help on Afghanistan

Defense Secretary Robert Gates' Asia trip produced no public commitment from other nations to help the U.S. in the war on terror, especially in Afghanistan.

With many countries under pressure at home to withdraw troops out of harm's way, Gates was forced to change strategies from a similar trip he took a year ago. This time his appeal was more subtle and delivered in private.

At meetings with Asian leaders, during an international security conference in Singapore and in visits to Thailand and Korea, Gates floated some ideas: Maybe the French could send special operations forces, or others could send trainers or medical aid.

"As best I can recall I asked everybody," Gates said, describing his message as "for those who are already engaged, can you do more? And for those who are not engaged, think about what you might be able to do."

Gates has had only mixed results in what has been an 18-month quest to rally more troops, equipment, transportation and other support for the effort in Afghanistan. For much of last year he hammered NATO allies to pony up more resources for the Afghan war and to reduce the restrictions many nations put on the fighting forces they do have there.

Limited progress has come in fits and starts — a few helicopters from one, some trainers from another, or Japan's agreement to reconsider its move to halt refueling and logistical support to U.S.-led forces in the Indian Ocean.

As a result, Gates sent more than 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan to help fight insurgents in the volatile south. And President Bush has said the U.S. will add several thousand more troops some time next year.

So, as Gates returned Tuesday from his weeklong travel to Asia, there was little indication he had come away with any additional commitments.

Many of the leaders he met with talked about the political situations at home. Gates likened the situation to a NATO meeting, in that the defense ministers didn't have the unilateral power to offer any commitments.

Still, "some of them are going to go back to their governments and see if there are possibilities for doing more," Gates said hopefully.

None, it seemed, were inclined to bring up Gates' own political backdrop or the deep divisions on the military — particularly in Iraq — being aired in the contentious U.S. presidential campaign.

But Gates brought it up himself.

He used the widely attended Shangri-la conference to reassure leaders that America will not abandon the fight against global terrorism, no matter who is elected president.

From the podium and in public comments later, Gates insisted the next commander in chief — whether Republican or Democrat — will not be complacent about terrorism threats with memories of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks still strong.

"Whoever is elected president will continued a very aggressive effort to deal with al-Qaida around the world and other extremist networks," Gates told reporters after meetings with his counterparts at an international security conference. "Now, they may use different terminology, they may approach it in a different way, but no American president can afford not to be aggressive in dealing with a potential threat to the United States and to our friends caused by these violent extremists."

Gates also was cautiously upbeat about the situation in Iraq, where U.S. casualties dropped to a four-year low last month, with about 21 troops killed, including four in non-hostile incidents.

"Everybody is leery about being optimistic, but it does seem to be developing in a very positive way," Gates told reporters during a break in his Singapore meetings. "We've still got a distance to go, but I think that the lower casualty rates are a reflection of some real progress that has been made."

That progress includes long-awaited improvements in the Iraqi security forces, who have been slowly taking greater control of their own combat operations, with U.S. help.

Neither Gates nor Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would predict further troop withdrawals beyond those planned through July. By then, there will be 15 U.S. combat brigades remaining in Iraq — five fewer than the peak after Bush ordered the buildup of troops early last year.

"I think we need to get to the fall to see where we are, to see what the decisions will be," Mullen said. "But we're on a pretty good track right now."

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