NATO Defense Ministers Endorse General McChrystal's Counterinsurgency Plan for Afghanistan
Congressional Desk
October 27, 2009
Deployment of Additional Troops to Afghanistan Gains Key Endorsement
Washington, D.C.—General Stanley McChrystal´s call for the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan gained a key endorsement over the weekend. As the commander of NATO´s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, General McChrystal´s plan to implement President Obama´s March counterinsurgency strategy received "broad support" from NATO member-nation defense ministers at a weekend meeting in Slovakia.
According to a Voice of America news report, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said "that defense ministers have a ´general shared view´ that Afghanistan must be empowered to defend itself."
Further, Mr. Rasmussen clearly articulated the consequences if NATO and the Afghan government do not succeed in their fight against the Taliban-led insurgency. Rasmussen: "The only way to ensure that Afghanistan does not become, once again, a safe haven for terrorists is if it is made strong enough to resist the insurgency as well. The Taliban hosted al-Qaida in the past, [and] extreme elements of the Taliban could well do so in the future."
According to a report in the Examiner, participants at the meeting adopted four key priorities for Afghanistan, including: "to place the Afghan population at the core of NATO-ISAF´s collective effort; an enhanced effort to build the capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces; to work more closely and effectively with our international and Afghan partners to promote better governance, and to engage effectively with Afghanistan´s neighbors, particularly Pakistan."
Despite the general support of General McChrystal´s plan to implement President Obama´s March counterinsurgency strategy, the BBC reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates "again publicly declined to endorse the plan." The BBC further reported that Secretary Gates stated that the Obama Administration "would start considering specific options in a few weeks."
On October 19, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) pointed to the urgency of the situation in Afghanistan and called on the Commander-in-Chief to lead.
McKeon: "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. Now is the time for the Commander-in-Chief to lead. A strategy that remains in limbo is a disservice to the nearly 70,000 American sons and daughters currently serving in Afghanistan. Two weeks ago the President told Members of Congress that his decision will be timely. My hope and expectation is that the President will make a decision to provide additional resources soon and stick with it."
Washington, D.C.—General Stanley McChrystal´s call for the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan gained a key endorsement over the weekend. As the commander of NATO´s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, General McChrystal´s plan to implement President Obama´s March counterinsurgency strategy received "broad support" from NATO member-nation defense ministers at a weekend meeting in Slovakia.
According to a Voice of America news report, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said "that defense ministers have a ´general shared view´ that Afghanistan must be empowered to defend itself."
Further, Mr. Rasmussen clearly articulated the consequences if NATO and the Afghan government do not succeed in their fight against the Taliban-led insurgency. Rasmussen: "The only way to ensure that Afghanistan does not become, once again, a safe haven for terrorists is if it is made strong enough to resist the insurgency as well. The Taliban hosted al-Qaida in the past, [and] extreme elements of the Taliban could well do so in the future."
According to a report in the Examiner, participants at the meeting adopted four key priorities for Afghanistan, including: "to place the Afghan population at the core of NATO-ISAF´s collective effort; an enhanced effort to build the capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces; to work more closely and effectively with our international and Afghan partners to promote better governance, and to engage effectively with Afghanistan´s neighbors, particularly Pakistan."
Despite the general support of General McChrystal´s plan to implement President Obama´s March counterinsurgency strategy, the BBC reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates "again publicly declined to endorse the plan." The BBC further reported that Secretary Gates stated that the Obama Administration "would start considering specific options in a few weeks."
On October 19, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) pointed to the urgency of the situation in Afghanistan and called on the Commander-in-Chief to lead.
McKeon: "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. Now is the time for the Commander-in-Chief to lead. A strategy that remains in limbo is a disservice to the nearly 70,000 American sons and daughters currently serving in Afghanistan. Two weeks ago the President told Members of Congress that his decision will be timely. 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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