WASHINGTON The two ranking Americans in Afghanistan a soldier and a diplomat publicly put aside their differences and told Congress on Tuesday that they fully supported President Obamas new strategy to add 30000 troops there to reverse Taliban gains and prepare Afghans to better control their own country.
General Stanley A. McChrystal the top military commander in the country and one of the principal architects of the military buildup said repeatedly at a pair of Congressional hearings that he had been granted all the forces he needed was confident of success and did not expect to have to request more troops at a later date although he also said he would base all his advice on the facts as they evolve.
He was joined by Karl W. Eikenberry the United States ambassador to Afghanistan who was much more skeptical during the plans formulation and who conceded today that success could not be guaranteed especially if the Afghans did not produce enough troops of their own quickly and if insurgents maintained safe havens across the border in Afghanistan.
Both of them spoke in generally optimistic tones about the chances of the plan while offering a notably restrained version of what ultimately would constitute success. General McChrystal for example said that to defeat" the Taliban meant merely to thwart them in maintaining the momentum that he said the insurgency had gained while the American effort there had lagged in recent years.
When he was asked point blank whether We do intend to defeat the Taliban?" the general replied: Sir the military term in fact without parsing that too tightly we we intend to prevent them from doing what they want to do."
The pair began a full day of hearings before the House and Senate armed services committees cautioning lawmakers of the high costs in lives as well as dollars still to come in a war already eight years old but expressing faith in the new battle plan that Mr. Obama announced last week after a three month review.
The decisions that came from that process reflect a realistic and effective approach" General McChrystal said in his prepared remarks. The mission is not only important; it is also achievable. We can and will accomplish this mission."
Ambassador Eikenberry a retired three-star Army general and former commander in Afghanistan himself said that that administration for the first time was providing adequate resources and attention to non-military goals governance and development that ultimately would gauge the missions success.
Our overarching goal is to encourage good governance free from corruption so Afghans see the benefits of supporting the legitimate government and the insurgency loses support" Ambassador Eikenberry said in his prepare remarks.
Their testimony came as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates began a visit to Kabul the first by a member of Mr. Obamas national security team since the president announced his new strategy.
At a joint news conference with Mr. Gates Hamid Karzai. the president of Afghanistan said that his country would not have the resources to pay for its own security for another 15 to 20 years and would remain dependent on American and NATO financial aid until then.
Mr. Gates agreed that it would be some time before Afghanistan is able to sustain its security forces entirely on its own" and reiterated that the withdrawal of American troops from the country starting in the second half of 2011 would be gradual.
Though General McChrystal and Ambassador Eikenberry were said to have become rivals as they staked out conflicting positions on the wars course they sought to defuse any awkward tension as they sat side by side before a battery of cameras at the hearing. They called each other old friends" even though colleagues say theyve been anything but in recent days.
General McChrystal and I are united in a joint effort in which civilian and military personnel work together every day often literally side-by-side with our Afghan partners and allies" Ambassador Eikenberry said in his statement.
In fact neither man got exactly what he wanted from Mr. Obamas review at least in terms of troops. General McChrystal favored as many as an additional 40000 forces while Ambassador Eikenberry according to people who read the classified diplomatic cables he sent back to Washington opposed any significant increase until the Afghan government aggressively demonstrated its seriousness in tackling governance corruption and development problems.
In Tuesday mornings hearing before the House Armed Services Committee both officials aimed to put the expansion to 100000 American troops by late next year in the context of three decades of civil war in Afghanistan. A hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee was to follow.
While U.S. forces have been at war in Afghanistan for eight years the Afghans have been at it for more than 30" General McChrystal said in his remarks. They are frustrated with international efforts that have failed to meet their expectations confronting us with a crisis of confidence among Afghans who view the international effort as insufficient and their government as corrupt or at the very least inconsequential."
That said Ambassador Eikenberry noted that the government of President Hamid Karzai must aggressively fight corruption and work closely with the United States to build able governance and competent Afghan security forces that eventually can take over the fight against the Taliban.
We expect the Afghan government to take specific actions in the key areas of security governance and economic development on an urgent basis" Ambassador Eikenberry said in his prepared remarks. In the eighth year of our involvement Afghans must progressively take greater responsibility for their own affairs."
Each official restated the goals that Mr. Obama described to the nation last week in his televised address from the United States Military Academy at West Point N.Y.: defeat al Qaeda and prevents its return to Afghanistan; disrupt and degrade the Taliban insurgency; separate the militants from the Afghan people; and strengthen Afghans security forces.
The additional 30000 American forces to secure population centers and to train Afghan security forces will provide us the ability to reverse insurgent momentum and deny the Taliban the access to the population they require to survive" General McChrystal said.
This means we must reverse the Talibans current momentum and create the time and space to develop Afghan security and governance capacity" he added.
Both General McChrystal and Ambassador Eikenberry cast the enemy as a complex and resilient insurgency. The most prominent threat to Mr. Karzais government comes from the Afghan Taliban led by Mullah Muhammad Omar who ruled Afghanistan until the American invasion in October 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks they said.
The Taliban and two other groups the Haqqani network and Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin draw support from external elements" in Iran and Pakistan have ties with al Qaeda and co-exist within narcotics and criminal networks both fueling and feeding off instability and insecurity in the region General McChrystal said.
The hazard posed by extremists that operate on both sides of the border with Pakistan with freedom of movement across that border must be mitigated by enhanced cross-border coordination and enhanced Pakistani engagement" General McChrystal said.
But both the general and the envoy said that new strategy would work and offered several reasons why. One the officials said the Taliban does not have widespread popular support in Afghanistan and instead dominates much of the countryside through fear and intimidation.
Second with a battle-tested American force and a stream of new civilian specialists entering the country the officials said the American and foreign allies have already started to help Afghans establish more effective security and more credible governance. This is not a force of rookies or dilettantes" General McChrystal said.
The officials rejected comparisons to the Soviet presence in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Afghans do not regard us as occupiers" General McChrystal said. They do not wish for us to remain forever yet they see our support as a necessary bridge to future security and stability."
Ambassador Eikenberry and General McChrystal warned that the United States will suffer additional casualties as fresh troops pour into Taliban strongholds in the southern and eastern portions of the country and acknowledged that the materiel cost which administration officials have put at an additional $30 billion in the first year will be steep.
The mission in Afghanistan is undeniably difficult and success will require steadfast commitment and incur significant costs" General McChrystal said.
Under Mr. Obamas plan the military will begin drawing down American forces in July 2011 but the pace and size of that withdrawal will depend on conditions on the ground.
By the summer of 2011 it will be clear to the Afghan people that the insurgency will not win giving them the chance to side with their government" General McChrystal said.
Our efforts are now empowered with a greater sense of clarity capability commitment and confidence" he added.
Unlike the previous eight years however this campaign will aim to include a much greater role for civilians. By early 2010 Ambassador Eikenberry said the United States will have almost 1000 civilians from agencies as diverse as the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the Agriculture Department in country. About 400 of those specialists will deploy to the field in support of security missions the ambassador said. A year ago there were 67 civilians operating outside of Kabul.
WASHINGTON The two ranking Americans in Afghanistan a soldier and a diplomat publicly put aside their differences and told Congress on Tuesday that they fully supported President Obamas new strategy to add 30000 troops there to reverse Taliban gains and prepare Afghans to better control their own country.
General Stanley A. McChrystal the top military commander in the country and one of the principal architects of the military buildup said repeatedly at a pair of Congressional hearings that he had been granted all the forces he needed was confident of success and did not expect to have to request more troops at a later date although he also said he would base all his advice on the facts as they evolve.
He was joined by Karl W. Eikenberry the United States ambassador to Afghanistan who was much more skeptical during the plans formulation and who conceded today that success could not be guaranteed especially if the Afghans did not produce enough troops of their own quickly and if insurgents maintained safe havens across the border in Afghanistan.
Both of them spoke in generally optimistic tones about the chances of the plan while offering a notably restrained version of what ultimately would constitute success. General McChrystal for example said that to defeat" the Taliban meant merely to thwart them in maintaining the momentum that he said the insurgency had gained while the American effort there had lagged in recent years.
When he was asked point blank whether We do intend to defeat the Taliban?" the general replied: Sir the military term in fact without parsing that too tightly we we intend to prevent them from doing what they want to do."
The pair began a full day of hearings before the House and Senate armed services committees cautioning lawmakers of the high costs in lives as well as dollars still to come in a war already eight years old but expressing faith in the new battle plan that Mr. Obama announced last week after a three month review.
The decisions that came from that process reflect a realistic and effective approach" General McChrystal said in his prepared remarks. The mission is not only important; it is also achievable. We can and will accomplish this mission."
Ambassador Eikenberry a retired three-star Army general and former commander in Afghanistan himself said that that administration for the first time was providing adequate resources and attention to non-military goals governance and development that ultimately would gauge the missions success.
Our overarching goal is to encourage good governance free from corruption so Afghans see the benefits of supporting the legitimate government and the insurgency loses support" Ambassador Eikenberry said in his prepare remarks.
Their testimony came as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates began a visit to Kabul the first by a member of Mr. Obamas national security team since the president announced his new strategy.
At a joint news conference with Mr. Gates Hamid Karzai. the president of Afghanistan said that his country would not have the resources to pay for its own security for another 15 to 20 years and would remain dependent on American and NATO financial aid until then.
Mr. Gates agreed that it would be some time before Afghanistan is able to sustain its security forces entirely on its own" and reiterated that the withdrawal of American troops from the country starting in the second half of 2011 would be gradual.
Though General McChrystal and Ambassador Eikenberry were said to have become rivals as they staked out conflicting positions on the wars course they sought to defuse any awkward tension as they sat side by side before a battery of cameras at the hearing. They called each other old friends" even though colleagues say theyve been anything but in recent days.
General McChrystal and I are united in a joint effort in which civilian and military personnel work together every day often literally side-by-side with our Afghan partners and allies" Ambassador Eikenberry said in his statement.
In fact neither man got exactly what he wanted from Mr. Obamas review at least in terms of troops. General McChrystal favored as many as an additional 40000 forces while Ambassador Eikenberry according to people who read the classified diplomatic cables he sent back to Washington opposed any significant increase until the Afghan government aggressively demonstrated its seriousness in tackling governance corruption and development problems.
In Tuesday mornings hearing before the House Armed Services Committee both officials aimed to put the expansion to 100000 American troops by late next year in the context of three decades of civil war in Afghanistan. A hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee was to follow.
While U.S. forces have been at war in Afghanistan for eight years the Afghans have been at it for more than 30" General McChrystal said in his remarks. They are frustrated with international efforts that have failed to meet their expectations confronting us with a crisis of confidence among Afghans who view the international effort as insufficient and their government as corrupt or at the very least inconsequential."
That said Ambassador Eikenberry noted that the government of President Hamid Karzai must aggressively fight corruption and work closely with the United States to build able governance and competent Afghan security forces that eventually can take over the fight against the Taliban.
We expect the Afghan government to take specific actions in the key areas of security governance and economic development on an urgent basis" Ambassador Eikenberry said in his prepared remarks. In the eighth year of our involvement Afghans must progressively take greater responsibility for their own affairs."
Each official restated the goals that Mr. Obama described to the nation last week in his televised address from the United States Military Academy at West Point N.Y.: defeat al Qaeda and prevents its return to Afghanistan; disrupt and degrade the Taliban insurgency; separate the militants from the Afghan people; and strengthen Afghans security forces.
The additional 30000 American forces to secure population centers and to train Afghan security forces will provide us the ability to reverse insurgent momentum and deny the Taliban the access to the population they require to survive" General McChrystal said.
This means we must reverse the Talibans current momentum and create the time and space to develop Afghan security and governance capacity" he added.
Both General McChrystal and Ambassador Eikenberry cast the enemy as a complex and resilient insurgency. The most prominent threat to Mr. Karzais government comes from the Afghan Taliban led by Mullah Muhammad Omar who ruled Afghanistan until the American invasion in October 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks they said.
The Taliban and two other groups the Haqqani network and Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin draw support from external elements" in Iran and Pakistan have ties with al Qaeda and co-exist within narcotics and criminal networks both fueling and feeding off instability and insecurity in the region General McChrystal said.
The hazard posed by extremists that operate on both sides of the border with Pakistan with freedom of movement across that border must be mitigated by enhanced cross-border coordination and enhanced Pakistani engagement" General McChrystal said.
But both the general and the envoy said that new strategy would work and offered several reasons why. One the officials said the Taliban does not have widespread popular support in Afghanistan and instead dominates much of the countryside through fear and intimidation.
Second with a battle-tested American force and a stream of new civilian specialists entering the country the officials said the American and foreign allies have already started to help Afghans establish more effective security and more credible governance. This is not a force of rookies or dilettantes" General McChrystal said.
The officials rejected comparisons to the Soviet presence in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Afghans do not regard us as occupiers" General McChrystal said. They do not wish for us to remain forever yet they see our support as a necessary bridge to future security and stability."
Ambassador Eikenberry and General McChrystal warned that the United States will suffer additional casualties as fresh troops pour into Taliban strongholds in the southern and eastern portions of the country and acknowledged that the materiel cost which administration officials have put at an additional $30 billion in the first year will be steep.
The mission in Afghanistan is undeniably difficult and success will require steadfast commitment and incur significant costs" General McChrystal said.
Under Mr. Obamas plan the military will begin drawing down American forces in July 2011 but the pace and size of that withdrawal will depend on conditions on the ground.
By the summer of 2011 it will be clear to the Afghan people that the insurgency will not win giving them the chance to side with their government" General McChrystal said.
Our efforts are now empowered with a greater sense of clarity capability commitment and confidence" he added.
Unlike the previous eight years however this campaign will aim to include a much greater role for civilians. By early 2010 Ambassador Eikenberry said the United States will have almost 1000 civilians from agencies as diverse as the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the Agriculture Department in country. About 400 of those specialists will deploy to the field in support of security missions the ambassador said. A year ago there were 67 civilians operating outside of Kabul.
