VOA常速英语2007年-US Marines Not Deploying to Afghanistan

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
05 December 2007

The commandant of the U.S. Marine¹ Corps² says Marines will not be deployed³ to Afghanistan, as he had wanted, and will continue to work in western Iraq instead. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

General James Conway says in a meeting last week Defense⁴ Secretary Robert Gates rejected his proposal for the Marines to give the western Iraq mission to the Army and take on some of the security effort in Afghanistan.

"I think, after discussion with the secretary, with my colleagues on the joint⁵ staff, that there's a determination that right now the timing⁶ is not right to provide additional Marine forces to Afghanistan," he said.

General Conway says he believes the Afghanistan war, with its increased clashes with enemy forces, is more suited to the Marines' traditional training and role than western Iraq, which has gone from being one of the country's most violent areas to one of its calmest. He says the move would have meant having fewer Marines deployed, making it possible for the corps' units to resume training for other types of conflict and also to have more time at home.

General Conway said that in Iraq, the Marines proved their ability to fight an insurgency⁷, an ability that would be useful in Afghanistan. He says, in keeping with the new U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine⁸, that involves not only military power but also the ability to work with local people and convince them to support the government, as happened in western Iraq.

The American general who commands all NATO forces, Bantz Craddock, said this week that is exactly the kind of work his troops in Afghanistan have to do.

"We will continue, in a military sense, to provide security throughout the country," he said. "But they will continue to provide insurgents⁹, I'm sure. What has to happen here is to drive a wedge between the extremist leadership and what I call the 'day soldiers,' [insurgents] those who sign up not because they are ideologues but because they need money. If this development creates job opportunities, economic advantage, it's our judgment¹⁰ that these day fighters will go away. The whole key here is not to kill the Taleban, but to make them irrelevant¹¹ by providing options."

General Craddock also said his staff has developed a new way to measure NATO's effectiveness in Afghanistan. He says he found when he took over about a year ago that NATO was measuring its own accomplishments¹², but not what impact that was having on goals set by the alliance and the Afghan government.

"We have, to a great extent, tracked measures of performance," he said. "'How are we doing?' Well, we built this, there's been a hundred kilometers of road, there's been this many schools - all good things. But the question in my mind is what's the effect it's produced."

General Craddock says NATO has identified 63 factors it will use to determine progress in three main areas - the extension of Afghan government authority, the development of its security forces and the creation of a secure environment for economic development.

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

7 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

8 doctrine   

n.教义；主义；学说

参考例句：

• He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
• The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

9 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

10 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

11 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

12 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》