Posted on Jun 16, 2016
US Rethinking Plan to Withdraw More Troops from Afghanistan
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The U.S. was tentatively sticking with a plan to draw down the number of troops in Afghanistan from 9,800 to 5,500 by early next year while leaving ample room for President Barack Obama to reverse course, depending on how fighting against the Taliban goes this summer, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Wednesday.
At a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels, Carter also said the alliance had agreed to extend the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan by keeping German troops in the north near Mazar-i-Sharif and Italian troops in the west at Herat, while the U.S. continues to maintain bases in Jalalabad in the southeast and Kandahar in the southwest.
In cautious and sometimes opaque remarks at a news conference, Carter said that troop levels in Afghanistan had not been a formal topic of discussion at the ministerial meetings but then restated the original Obama plan to draw down U.S. forces to 5,500 for 2017.
Going down to 5,500 was "the current plan," Carter said, though "the president has indicated consistently (that) he is willing to look at the U.S. force presence on the basis of circumstances in Afghanistan and he is expected to do that at the end of the year. He has expressed a willingness to do that but that was not a topic of discussion at today's meeting, per se," he said.
Carter said troop levels and funding would likely be fleshed out at a NATO summit in Warsaw next month. However, he said "there should be no doubt about our commitment to Afghanistan."
The secretary's statements contrasted with those of British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon and NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, who were more forthcoming on where the U.S. and the allies would eventually end up on the presence in Afghanistan.
"This is the wrong time to walk away from Afghanistan," Fallon told reporters. "Everyone has an interest that our effort there is sustained. That's why, as Ash Carter told us, the troop numbers are being looked at again."
Stoltenberg said several nations committed to a troop presence next year in Afghanistan. "With a regional presence, we will continue to advise, train and assist the Afghan national forces because we are very committed to continuing to support Afghans," he said.
Carter made no mention of the recommendations on troop levels from Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Army Brig Gen. Charles Cleveland, Nicholson's spokesman, said in a briefing to the Pentagon from, Kabul earlier this month that Nicholson had wrapped up his report, which was believed to be working its way up the chain of command through Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, and then to Carter, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford and the White House.
Nicholson's predecessor, Army Gen. John Campbell, had warned of the dangers of continuing to withdraw U.S. troops while a resurgent Taliban, now amply funded by a bumper poppy crop this spring, was inflicting heavy losses on the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF).
In addition, Obama has been expanding the role for U.S. forces in Afghanistan this year, rather than focusing on preparations for more withdrawals.
In January, he authorized U.S. airstrikes against a growing presence of followers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in southeastern Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, Obama lifted a ban on airstrikes against the Taliban, which had been in effect since late 2014, and also approved embedding U.S. trainers and advisers with conventional ANDSF forces, rather than just Afghan Special Forces.
Carter said the changes would allow for "more American firepower through close (air) support" for the ANDSF, and also "more opportunities" for U.S. troops "to accompany and enable" the ANDSF to take back ground lost to the Taliban, particularly in southwestern Helmand province.
The U.S. began the year backing the efforts of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to draw the Taliban into regional peace talks with the support of China, Russia and Pakistan. Ghani later blamed Pakistan for the collapse of the effort.
The regional prospects took another turn for the worse this week with reports of cross-border clashes with small arms and artillery between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @SGT John McConnell SGT John " Mac " McConnell
At a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels, Carter also said the alliance had agreed to extend the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan by keeping German troops in the north near Mazar-i-Sharif and Italian troops in the west at Herat, while the U.S. continues to maintain bases in Jalalabad in the southeast and Kandahar in the southwest.
In cautious and sometimes opaque remarks at a news conference, Carter said that troop levels in Afghanistan had not been a formal topic of discussion at the ministerial meetings but then restated the original Obama plan to draw down U.S. forces to 5,500 for 2017.
Going down to 5,500 was "the current plan," Carter said, though "the president has indicated consistently (that) he is willing to look at the U.S. force presence on the basis of circumstances in Afghanistan and he is expected to do that at the end of the year. He has expressed a willingness to do that but that was not a topic of discussion at today's meeting, per se," he said.
Carter said troop levels and funding would likely be fleshed out at a NATO summit in Warsaw next month. However, he said "there should be no doubt about our commitment to Afghanistan."
The secretary's statements contrasted with those of British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon and NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, who were more forthcoming on where the U.S. and the allies would eventually end up on the presence in Afghanistan.
"This is the wrong time to walk away from Afghanistan," Fallon told reporters. "Everyone has an interest that our effort there is sustained. That's why, as Ash Carter told us, the troop numbers are being looked at again."
Stoltenberg said several nations committed to a troop presence next year in Afghanistan. "With a regional presence, we will continue to advise, train and assist the Afghan national forces because we are very committed to continuing to support Afghans," he said.
Carter made no mention of the recommendations on troop levels from Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Army Brig Gen. Charles Cleveland, Nicholson's spokesman, said in a briefing to the Pentagon from, Kabul earlier this month that Nicholson had wrapped up his report, which was believed to be working its way up the chain of command through Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, and then to Carter, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford and the White House.
Nicholson's predecessor, Army Gen. John Campbell, had warned of the dangers of continuing to withdraw U.S. troops while a resurgent Taliban, now amply funded by a bumper poppy crop this spring, was inflicting heavy losses on the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF).
In addition, Obama has been expanding the role for U.S. forces in Afghanistan this year, rather than focusing on preparations for more withdrawals.
In January, he authorized U.S. airstrikes against a growing presence of followers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in southeastern Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, Obama lifted a ban on airstrikes against the Taliban, which had been in effect since late 2014, and also approved embedding U.S. trainers and advisers with conventional ANDSF forces, rather than just Afghan Special Forces.
Carter said the changes would allow for "more American firepower through close (air) support" for the ANDSF, and also "more opportunities" for U.S. troops "to accompany and enable" the ANDSF to take back ground lost to the Taliban, particularly in southwestern Helmand province.
The U.S. began the year backing the efforts of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to draw the Taliban into regional peace talks with the support of China, Russia and Pakistan. Ghani later blamed Pakistan for the collapse of the effort.
The regional prospects took another turn for the worse this week with reports of cross-border clashes with small arms and artillery between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
@SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas , Capt Christopher Mueller , CPT (Join to see) , COL Mikel J. Burroughs , Sgt Joe LaBranche , SSgt (Join to see), TSgt Hunter Logan Capt Seid Waddell SrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. PO2 Ed C. PO2 Mark Saffell MSG Tom Earley PVT James Strait Alan K. @po1 william "chip" PO1 William "Chip" Nagel @SGT John McConnell SGT John " Mac " McConnell
US Rethinking Plan to Withdraw More Troops from Afghanistan
Posted from military.comPosted in these groups: War on Terror Afghanistan
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 4
Posted 8 y ago
I hope this time "we" do not announce our intensions or withdrawal schedule to the world which includes our enemies SP5 Mark Kuzinski.
I find it "Very interesting" as Artie Jonson used to say on Rowan & Martin's Laugh In; that, in the twilight of the POTUS Obama administration the man that spent so much time blaming the previous POTUS seems to be growing wiser. The conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, north Africa and elsewhere are not so simple that we can get involved and back out without experiencing any consequences.
I find it "Very interesting" as Artie Jonson used to say on Rowan & Martin's Laugh In; that, in the twilight of the POTUS Obama administration the man that spent so much time blaming the previous POTUS seems to be growing wiser. The conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, north Africa and elsewhere are not so simple that we can get involved and back out without experiencing any consequences.
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Posted 8 y ago
If the surge was not enough to get the job done based on the political limitations on the ROE, slashing the current levels by 50% would be nothing more than a security force to watch over equipment exfil. Having been at Mazar-i-Sharif, that is not where the majority of the fighting is taking place. It is, however, one of two major bases for the shipment of war material back stateside.
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Posted 8 y ago
SP5 Mark Kuzinski I think that Obama promise to remove or withdraw from Afghanistan was potlitically driven and was a bad mistake. If we have a coalition (or somewhat of a coalition) willing to stay the course and we have a definite plan for stablizing or defeating the Taliban then we should continue this effort. I think we all seen this coming. The US can't pull out like it did in Iraq because the Taliban will move right back in and start right back up again. Just an opinion. Mark what is your thought on our strategy or others on RP?
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Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin
8 y
We told Gen Dunford back 2014, we needed 3 years to get the Afghan Air Force Trained (that's just the Air Force... I cannot offer insight into the ANA but I heard it was worse for them). After that three years, we would then consider the recommendations for force reduction. Gen Dunford agreed and took that to the President. The President chose otherwise, against the recommendations of his expert on the ground. All for a political promise which few Americans desired, and of those which did, fewer understood what the hell was going on.
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SP5 Mark Kuzinski
8 y
This was not the only thing that Obama promised to do and like all of the rest of his promises this one was a total failure. The simplest of plans should have included the military and not orders given by a community organizer.
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