Wednesday
Jul162008
Defense officials: Pakistan border porous, foreign fighters in Afghanistan
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 2:38PM
The U.S. forces in Iraq are entering a 45-day period of review recommended by outgoing Multinational Forces commander Gen. David Petraeus. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen recently returned from a visit to the Middle East and he spoke with optimism about his trip to Iraq saying that if conditions continue to improve, he expects "to be able to, early in the fall, to recommend to the secretary and the president further troop reductions."
Regarding Afghanistan, Mullen noted that coalition forces are seeing more foreign fighters flowing across the border with Pakistan "unmolested and unhindered." Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Gates described all U.S. military action toward Pakistan in response to this as defensive counter attacks and dismissed the notion of a cross-border offensive by the U.S. Gates also said that the absence of pressure has created an opportunity for more people to cross the border and launch attacks. He called for more pressure and engagement with Pakistan to increase security on the Pakistani side of the border.
Military commanders in Afghanistan have made it clear that there is an increased need for more troops in there, but both Mullen and Gates have said that an increase of troops in Afghanistan hinges on troop reductions in Iraq. Some forces, the USS Lincoln for example, have been shifted to support Afghanistan and Gates said that other options are being examined. Both Gates and Mullen said that more troops in Afghanistan would make a big difference in security in Afghanistan.
An recent attack on an outpost in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, which killed nine U.S. troops and resulted in the abandonment of the outpost was described by Mullen as one of significant numbers and sophistication. "It was a very large group, several hundred insurgents, it was very well planned, a very sophisticated attack...from what I can see right now is that they were well trained, well armed, and it was a significant number and a complex attack," he said.
Regarding Afghanistan, Mullen noted that coalition forces are seeing more foreign fighters flowing across the border with Pakistan "unmolested and unhindered." Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Gates described all U.S. military action toward Pakistan in response to this as defensive counter attacks and dismissed the notion of a cross-border offensive by the U.S. Gates also said that the absence of pressure has created an opportunity for more people to cross the border and launch attacks. He called for more pressure and engagement with Pakistan to increase security on the Pakistani side of the border.
Military commanders in Afghanistan have made it clear that there is an increased need for more troops in there, but both Mullen and Gates have said that an increase of troops in Afghanistan hinges on troop reductions in Iraq. Some forces, the USS Lincoln for example, have been shifted to support Afghanistan and Gates said that other options are being examined. Both Gates and Mullen said that more troops in Afghanistan would make a big difference in security in Afghanistan.
An recent attack on an outpost in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, which killed nine U.S. troops and resulted in the abandonment of the outpost was described by Mullen as one of significant numbers and sophistication. "It was a very large group, several hundred insurgents, it was very well planned, a very sophisticated attack...from what I can see right now is that they were well trained, well armed, and it was a significant number and a complex attack," he said.
Admiral Mullen: Our Future Is Guaranteed If We Take Care Of Our People
“Our future is guaranteed from a national standpoint If we take care of our people,” according to Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
This was one of the central points of Admiral Mullen’s talk on the “Future of Global Engagement” at the Brookings Institution today.
Afghani presidential elections coming up in August are forcing the U.S. military to draft a report on the effectiveness of the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan.
In addition, the law passed by Afghani President Hamid Karzai which prohibits a woman from refusing sexual intercourse with her husband may have signaled the need for yet more work and presence from the troops, implying the road is still long for the soldiers who are stationed there.
On his priorities, Mullen said, “The main effort right now is in Afghanistan. Increase the growth of the Army and the Marine Corps. But now those forces must be put together to rotate in the theater.”
Mullen added that because of the need for troops in different missions, “The numbers (of repeated deployments per soldier) we are getting right now are 3 and 4 but we’ve talked to families that are on their fifth and sixth deployment.”
“Even in our eighth year of war we’re in the beginning of getting at what I consider to be a debt that needs to be repaid for those sacrifices (by the troops), it’s for injuries seen but it’s also for injuries unseen,” said Mullen.
Mullen said that “what we should buy for their future is to make sure we get it right for our people, that’s health care, that’s housing, that's benefits, that's the compensation packages, that's the bonuses... that's where I spend an awful lot of my time with the services chief."