Army´s Top General Backs U.S. Force Increase in Afghanistan
Congressional Desk
November 14, 2009
McKeon: "Time is of the Essence and Failure to Seize the Initiative Risks Failure"
Washington, D.C.— The Army´s top officer said he backs an increase in U.S. forces in Afghanistan despite his long-standing concerns about military readiness. According to a Wall Street Journal story from November 9, Army Chief of Staff George Casey´s announcement is the "latest sign that the Obama administration is leaning toward dispatching thousands of reinforcements to bolster existing U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan."
While declining to provide a specific number, General Casey stated: "I believe that we need to put additional forces into Afghanistan to give Gen. [Stanley] McChrystal the ability to both dampen the success of the Taliban while we train the Afghan Security Forces."
According to the Wall Street Journal, "Gen. Casey's backing could carry more weight than others'. When he was commander in Iraq—a position he held until early 2007—the general was only a reluctant supporter of the ´surge´ of forces into Iraq. At the time, he expressed concerns that more U.S. troops could anger Iraqis and put dangerous levels of stress on American forces. He has raised similar concerns about repeated deployments since taking over the top Army job in 2007."
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member McKeon and other congressional leaders have repeatedly called for President Obama to fully resource his March counterinsurgency strategy and make a decision. McKeon, in a statement on October 20, stated: "As General McChrystal's assessment makes clear, time is of the essence and failure to seize the initiative risks failure. The Commander needs and has asked for additional resources to reverse Taliban momentum…My hope and expectation is that the President will make a decision to provide additional resources soon and stick with it."
Washington, D.C.— The Army´s top officer said he backs an increase in U.S. forces in Afghanistan despite his long-standing concerns about military readiness. According to a Wall Street Journal story from November 9, Army Chief of Staff George Casey´s announcement is the "latest sign that the Obama administration is leaning toward dispatching thousands of reinforcements to bolster existing U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan."
While declining to provide a specific number, General Casey stated: "I believe that we need to put additional forces into Afghanistan to give Gen. [Stanley] McChrystal the ability to both dampen the success of the Taliban while we train the Afghan Security Forces."
According to the Wall Street Journal, "Gen. Casey's backing could carry more weight than others'. When he was commander in Iraq—a position he held until early 2007—the general was only a reluctant supporter of the ´surge´ of forces into Iraq. At the time, he expressed concerns that more U.S. troops could anger Iraqis and put dangerous levels of stress on American forces. He has raised similar concerns about repeated deployments since taking over the top Army job in 2007."
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member McKeon and other congressional leaders have repeatedly called for President Obama to fully resource his March counterinsurgency strategy and make a decision. McKeon, in a statement on October 20, stated: "As General McChrystal's assessment makes clear, time is of the essence and failure to seize the initiative risks failure. The Commander needs and has asked for additional resources to reverse Taliban momentum…My hope and expectation is that the President will make a decision to provide additional resources soon and stick with it."
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