INHOFE URGES MORE TROOPS FOR AFGHANISTAN
Congressional Desk
October 12, 2009
"´Wait and See´ is not a war strategy and certainly not an approach that our senior military commanders are recommending."
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the following comments regarding the 8th anniversary of sustained combat in Afghanistan:
"Today marks eight years of sustained combat in Afghanistan, and it is important to reaffirm our commitment to victory there," Inhofe said. "At a time when the sacrifices of our American and allied forces in Afghanistan are increasing, we should give the utmost priority to listening to our commanders on the ground. We owe it to all those who have lost their lives, the thousands who are fighting there today, and all the families, to provide our forces with the adequate number of troops to accomplish the mission that they set out to do."
In Afghanistan, the U.S. and its allies have maintained a troop level of roughly 60,000 to conduct combat operations within a country the size of Texas, nearly twice the size of Iraq, and with some of the most challenging terrain in the world. Roughly 68,000 U.S. troops are deployed to Afghanistan and over 865 have lost their lives since October 7th, 2001.
"After the release of General McChrystal´s assessment, some Obama administration officials have gone so far as to minimize the value of the Commanding General´s input and analysis as just one of many voices that should be considered," Inhofe continued. "Instead, President Obama should be predominantly relying on the advice of his two senior commanders for the region, General Petraeus and General McChrystal. There are not two more competent and capable wartime generals in our entire military. Politics, indecision, or ambivalence has no place in this process when we are clearly at a crucial stage of the war where time and decisiveness are critical. As many have recently said, time is not on our side in Afghanistan. Indecision and delay only embolden our enemy while losing the support of our allies and those we are there to protect. With the winter approaching and the time to allocate additional forces dwindling, it is imperative that we enable our military leaders and the troops on the ground with all the resources and tools they require to make inroads against the insurgency. I agree that the Afghan Security Forces (ASF) also need to be significantly increased in numbers and training to adequately protect the Afghan people and fight the Taliban. However, those efforts should happen in conjunction with an allied troop increase, not in lieu of providing the needed troops. ´Wait and See´ is not a war strategy and certainly not an approach that our military commanders are recommending."
BACKGROUND:
After replacing GEN David McKiernan in Afghanistan in June of this year, General McChrystal was tasked with providing a thorough assessment of the situation in Afghanistan and providing his best military assessment to the Secretary of Defense by early September, a 3-month evaluation period. General McChrystal´s Afghan assessment was leaked by the press in late September and called for a shift in strategy that would emphasize a regional approach to the war in Afghanistan that includes an increased focus on Pakistan. The strategy also calls for isolating insurgent forces by protecting Afghan civilians. A subsequent phase of his assessment, with specific numbers and types of forces needed was provided to the Secretary of Defense shortly thereafter but has not been made public pending the President´s announcement. Since his confirmation in June 2009 as the commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, General McChrystal was contacted by President Obama only once, by video conference. July and August 2009 were two of the deadliest months for U.S. troops since the war began in October 2001. General McChrystal was specifically selected to lead forces in Afghanistan for his "unique skill set in counterinsurgency" as an Army Special Forces officer and former commander of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command. He commands over 100K allied forces, including 68K U.S. troops in Afghanistan. General McChrystal may request up to 40K additional U.S. troops for a total of 108K U.S. troops. Vice President Biden and others in the White House have argued for a narrower anti-terrorism campaign, which would expedite the training of Afghan forces, intensify Predator strikes on al-Qaeda operatives, and support the government of nuclear-armed Pakistan in its fight against the Taliban, which administration officials say is proceeding better than they had predicted. Republican leaders have urged President Obama to approve the resources that McChrystal is seeking.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the following comments regarding the 8th anniversary of sustained combat in Afghanistan:
"Today marks eight years of sustained combat in Afghanistan, and it is important to reaffirm our commitment to victory there," Inhofe said. "At a time when the sacrifices of our American and allied forces in Afghanistan are increasing, we should give the utmost priority to listening to our commanders on the ground. We owe it to all those who have lost their lives, the thousands who are fighting there today, and all the families, to provide our forces with the adequate number of troops to accomplish the mission that they set out to do."
In Afghanistan, the U.S. and its allies have maintained a troop level of roughly 60,000 to conduct combat operations within a country the size of Texas, nearly twice the size of Iraq, and with some of the most challenging terrain in the world. Roughly 68,000 U.S. troops are deployed to Afghanistan and over 865 have lost their lives since October 7th, 2001.
"After the release of General McChrystal´s assessment, some Obama administration officials have gone so far as to minimize the value of the Commanding General´s input and analysis as just one of many voices that should be considered," Inhofe continued. "Instead, President Obama should be predominantly relying on the advice of his two senior commanders for the region, General Petraeus and General McChrystal. There are not two more competent and capable wartime generals in our entire military. Politics, indecision, or ambivalence has no place in this process when we are clearly at a crucial stage of the war where time and decisiveness are critical. As many have recently said, time is not on our side in Afghanistan. Indecision and delay only embolden our enemy while losing the support of our allies and those we are there to protect. With the winter approaching and the time to allocate additional forces dwindling, it is imperative that we enable our military leaders and the troops on the ground with all the resources and tools they require to make inroads against the insurgency. I agree that the Afghan Security Forces (ASF) also need to be significantly increased in numbers and training to adequately protect the Afghan people and fight the Taliban. However, those efforts should happen in conjunction with an allied troop increase, not in lieu of providing the needed troops. ´Wait and See´ is not a war strategy and certainly not an approach that our military commanders are recommending."
BACKGROUND:
After replacing GEN David McKiernan in Afghanistan in June of this year, General McChrystal was tasked with providing a thorough assessment of the situation in Afghanistan and providing his best military assessment to the Secretary of Defense by early September, a 3-month evaluation period. General McChrystal´s Afghan assessment was leaked by the press in late September and called for a shift in strategy that would emphasize a regional approach to the war in Afghanistan that includes an increased focus on Pakistan. The strategy also calls for isolating insurgent forces by protecting Afghan civilians. A subsequent phase of his assessment, with specific numbers and types of forces needed was provided to the Secretary of Defense shortly thereafter but has not been made public pending the President´s announcement. Since his confirmation in June 2009 as the commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, General McChrystal was contacted by President Obama only once, by video conference. July and August 2009 were two of the deadliest months for U.S. troops since the war began in October 2001. General McChrystal was specifically selected to lead forces in Afghanistan for his "unique skill set in counterinsurgency" as an Army Special Forces officer and former commander of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command. He commands over 100K allied forces, including 68K U.S. troops in Afghanistan. General McChrystal may request up to 40K additional U.S. troops for a total of 108K U.S. troops. Vice President Biden and others in the White House have argued for a narrower anti-terrorism campaign, which would expedite the training of Afghan forces, intensify Predator strikes on al-Qaeda operatives, and support the government of nuclear-armed Pakistan in its fight against the Taliban, which administration officials say is proceeding better than they had predicted. Republican leaders have urged President Obama to approve the resources that McChrystal is seeking.
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