US Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, sent a letter to all 26 NATO defense chiefs asking them to drop troop restrictions in Afghanistan, reports Stars and Stripes. Jones says that some countries restrict which areas their troops can be used in while others have imposed strict rules about combat participation. He likened the situation to NATO’s early problems in Kosovo, when initially “commanders spent more time deciding what they couldn’t do with their forces rather than what we could do.”
President Donald Trump signed legislation reopening the federal government late Nov. 12, ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The move sets the stage for tens of thousands of defense civilians to return to work and guarantees troops will be paid in a few days’ time.
