General David Petraeus testifies before Congress.

01 April 2009

U.S. Says Progress in Afghanistan Depends on Sustained Commitment, April 1, 2009

(Petraeus says Pakistan, Afghanistan pose most urgent security problem)

By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington — Future progress in Afghanistan will depend on a substantial and sustained commitment by the United States, Pentagon officials say.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan pose the most urgent problem set,” General David Petraeus said April 1 at a Senate hearing on President Obama’s new strategy for the region. Petraeus is commander of the U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Defense Under Secretary Michele Flournoy told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the president’s new strategy is designed to disrupt, dismantle and defeat the terrorist group al-Qaida and the remnants of the former Taliban regime that want to regain control of Afghanistan. To accomplish this mission, she said, the United States must eliminate these groups’ safe havens in the Pakistani mountain range on the border of Afghanistan and prevent their reemergence.

“All of the elements of national power we employ — political, diplomatic, military and economic — must be oriented on achieving this goal,” Flournoy said. She testified that the Obama administration is currently working on a set of benchmarks designed to measure whether the new approach is working.

And success will depend on a commitment of resources and funding coupled with time, she said.

Obama announced in late March that he would be sending an additional 17,000 U.S. troops and Marines to Afghanistan in the coming months to join the 38,000 already there, and he is also ordering 4,000 more troops to act as trainers for the Afghan army.

Every American combat unit in Afghanistan will be partnered with an Afghan unit, and more trainers will be requested from NATO allies to ensure that every Afghan unit has a coalition partner, Obama said. The goal, the president said, is to build the Afghan army from about 80,000 troops to 134,000 and expand the national police force from 78,000 to 82,000 officers.

Currently, the total number of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan is 70,140 troops, according to the Pentagon and NATO.

In addition, Obama said has asked Congress to approve legislation that will authorize $1.5 billion in direct support to Pakistan every year over the next five years to build up civil infrastructure and strengthen the Pakistani government.

“Special Representative [Richard] Holbrooke will lead bilateral and trilateral engagements with the aim of developing greater security and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan and within the region,” Flournoy said.

From the defense perspective, Flournoy said the military will work to build the counterterrorism and counterinsurgency capabilities of both countries to enhance their ability to combat terrorists and insurgents more effectively.

Admiral Eric Olson, who commands the U.S. Special Operations Command, said that “the situation in this region is increasingly dire.” The terrorists have proven adept at hiding, communicating and inspiring others to join them, he said.

The Special Operations Command gets, trains and equips special operations forces from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, who are among the most elite and well-trained military forces in the world.

Although the Taliban insurgents are not militarily strong, they are pervasive and brutal, Olson said.

“We know well that progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan will be neither quick nor easy,” he said.