HELICOPER SHORTAGES !

By Jonathan Marcus - BBC diplomatic correspondent.

The stalled deployment of a European military force to eastern Chad now looks as though it will go ahead at the start of February after the French government agreed to pitch in with additional resources. Helicopters have become the vital workhorse of overseas missions One of the key shortages had been in the support area, notably helicopters.

Last month, French Defence Minister Herve Morin complained about the reluctance of other European governments to come up with the necessary resources. France, because of its long-standing military ties in the region, had wanted to restrict its contribution to the 3,500-strong force, which is to be commanded by an Irish general. With few other offers coming in, the French have now decided to deploy around 10 transport helicopters and the necessary support elements themselves - though they still hope that other countries may contribute additional equipment.

This episode underlines a growing problem in expeditionary operations, whether they be coalition forces engaged in explicit military tasks, like in Afghanistan, or in peacekeeping duties for the United Nations or other international bodies. There are simply not enough helicopters to go around.

A good rule of thumb would be that it takes around 30 people to keep each deployed helicopter in the air The same problems of helicopter and transport shortages have dogged efforts to build up the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur.

Ever since the Vietnam-era, helicopters have become the vital workhorses of military deployments overseas. Leaving aside specific combat missions, like hunting tanks for example, helicopters give vital mobility and support - carrying troops, ferrying supplies and providing essential services like casualty evacuation.

They are a genuine "force-multiplier", allowing relatively small units, often in difficult terrain, to make the most of their capabilities. At first sight, it seems strange that the French government in this case, or often the UN, should have to go cap in hand to beg for additional helicopters. A quick glance at any military almanac like, for example, The Military Balance, published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, shows that if you just take the Nato countries alone, they have hundreds of helicopters at their disposal.

But deploying them overseas is quite another matter. Even for life and death missions involving its own personnel in Afghanistan, Nato has perennially been short of helicopters. Iraq's difficult terrain makes US helicopters more valuable there.
Those countries, like Britain, which have deployed significant assets, find they still do not have enough, and at the moment there is a programme under way to convert eight existing twin-rotored Chinook helicopters into a supporting role so that Britain would have a larger pool of aircraft from which to draw.

The problems are both political and practical. In some case governments just do not want to become involved in a particular operation. There may be long-standing sensitivities in the deployment region. It is often better, for example, that the United States remain on the sidelines of any operation given its active global military role in Iraq, Afghanistan and the wider war on terror.

But even the US, too, might have problems finding additional aircraft for peacekeeping operations. Fighting two wars has placed an extraordinary strain on Washington's military machine. These wars are being fought in places with difficult terrain, making helicopters even more valuable, but high altitudes and dusty desert air are both bad news in terms of maintaining a helicopter fleet's air-worthiness.

So, some governments may not want to participate; some - like the US and Britain - may have their forces fully engaged elsewhere; but what of the rest? The simple fact is that most countries - even Nato players - are not really geared up for genuine expeditionary warfare. Their helicopter squadrons were never intended to be able to be picked up and deposited in some harsh environment.

Deploying even small helicopter forces is expensive and manpower intensive. A good rule of thumb would be that it takes around 30 people to keep each deployed helicopter in the air. Bases have to be provided and protected and a whole logistical support apparatus established to provide fuel and spare parts.

Only very few countries are able to deploy significant numbers of helicopters in this way, and they tend to be the ones whose forces are already overstretched. It is all part of a much broader problem when trying to construct peacekeeping forces. When the call goes out for troops, there can often be significant numbers of offers. But everyone wants to contribute infantry battalions. They are the basic building blocks of any force and are relatively easy to find.

What is much more difficult is the key enablers; the support services that keep the show on the road - engineering, logistics, and, of course, helicopters.
BBC NEWS REPORT.