tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8755035051021414780.post21629177316494024..comments2023-11-17T03:55:40.736-05:00Comments on Ink Spots: Ah, the Washington Times is always good for a chuckleLilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18373158801523577733noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8755035051021414780.post-53636232319978759602009-11-06T18:06:46.859-05:002009-11-06T18:06:46.859-05:00I'll follow up on this thread to the previous ...I'll follow up on this thread to the previous one.<br /><br />{Gulliver, expect an e-mail on this from me, whenever I get to it}<br /><br />Notice that the Estonians are in task force Helmand, fighting under British command in the most dangerous part of Afghanistan.<br /><br />Estonia: "population is about 1.4 million. Its professional military numbers about 3,300. About 30,000 other Estonians serve at any given time in its territorial force -- a sort of National Guard -- or its 10,000-person reserve..."<br />Based on 1.4 million people, a 3,300 sized military is the equivalent of the US having a military of more than 750,000.<br /><br />To ask the Estonians to dedicate 60% their military to NATO out of area operations; and assuming a 1/3 deployment ratio, this implies that Estonia would deploy 660 troops to international missions (in Afghanistan, Africa, Balkans, etc.) at any given point of time.<br /><br />I still think that focusing the Estonian international mission on FID or foreign capacity building would be ideal.<br /><br />Another option for estonia would be to develop an international civilian Corps that deploys on global FID missions. {Which is what I meant to suggest in the previous thread.}<br /><br />Under this scenario, Estonia could have an internationally deployed force of 500 troops + 160 civilians at any given point of time. Given Estonia's amazing success in mobile, software, social networking, venture capital and technology outsourcing, I think Estonia's global civilian corps could be more useful than its troops.<br /><br />If Estonia could start some simple business outsourcing operations near some Afghan universities; just imagine the long term positive affects.<br /><br />It is important to remember that a small number of Indian technology companies contribute a massively disproportionate share of the Indian government's annual tax revenue. The same could happen in Afghanistan.<br /><br />Increasing Afghan tax revenue from $600 million a year to close to $6,000 million a year (long term steady state GIRoA expenditure) is one of the three largest priorities in Afghanistan in my opinion.Anandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03040200275831896147noreply@blogger.com