Progress In Marjah Steady, But Slower Than Expected, Reports Military Leader

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen conceded Monday that while steady progress is being made through the military offensive in the Afghan town Marjah, advancement is slower than expected.

"We need to be realistic about this operation," said Mullen during a press briefing with Defense Secretary Robert Gates. "It's going to take some time."

The offensive, which is in its second week, is part of a joint effort between U.S. and Afghanistan security forces to eradicate the heavy Taliban presence in the 72 square mile region.

Both Mullen and Gates denied that the pace in Majrah is an indicator that General Stanley McChrystal, who commands U.S. forces in the nation, will need to reevaluate the overall military strategy for the country.

DOD Requests $549 Billion From Congress

By Benny Martinez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen pleaded with Congress to approve a $549 billion DOD budget for FY2011 during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday.

But this request does not include an extra $159 billion to support Overseas Contingency Operations, primarily in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as a $33 billion war supplemental to support the President’s new agenda in Afghanistan.

Mullen said that Afghanistan is becoming the “center of gravity” for U.S. forces and added that the nation’s efforts will yield positive results within the next 18 months. Mullen also said that in that time, the number of American soldiers should decrease to 50 thousand and the military’s role should shift from combat to an advise-and-assist role.

“Getting there will demand discipline and hard work,” Mullen said. “It will most assuredly demand more sacrifice and more bloodshed, but the stakes are far too high for failure.”

Both Mullen and Gates stressed the importance of balancing the dissemination of funding to a variety of DOD initiatives.

The $549 billion budget is said to support a wide array of new and continuing Armed Forces initiatives. The modernization and creation of new ground, sea and air combat vehicles are key investments in preparing the military for the future, Gates said.

According to Mullen, the budget will also secure nearly $9 billion to support military families and advocacy programs. This includes child care and youth programs, counseling for veterans, military spouse employment and $2.2 billion for wounded, ill, and injured soldiers.

“It’s about balance, it’s about deterring and winning the big and the small wars, the conventional and unconventional,” Mullen said. “But where balance is most needed is in the programs and policies of our most important resource, our people.”

Defense Secretary Gates Defends Afghanistan Withdrawal Timetable

Senior Obama administration officials Wednesday defended the recently announced withdrawal timetable for Afghanistan in an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

According to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the timetable, which aims to begin removing U.S. troops by July of 2011, will not create a situation through which violent extremists can simply wait out the clock.

“We certainly would welcome them not being active for the next 18 months,” said Gates. “We are already in a situation in which they are emboldened ... and where they have the momentum right now. It’s not clear to me what more they can do than they can’t do right now.”

Gates added that the July date holds additional significance since it will mark two years since 12,000 U.S. troops were sent to Helmand this Summer.

While Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Michael Mullen stated that the withdrawal date was carefully considered, he did signal that it is not necessarily written in stone.

“By Mid-2011 we will know if we are going to succeed here or not,” said Mullen. “[The president said Withdrawal] would be responsible and it would be based on conditions. All of us can speculate on what those conditions will be, but I think we have to be careful about that.”

President Barack Obama announced the withdrawal timetable Tuesday evening coupled with a pledge to send 30,000 more U.S. troops.

Mullen: I'll give the new President the "best advice I can"

This is the first administration transition during wartime in forty years, and traditionally, a crisis will occur during that period, said Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a press briefing at the Pentagon.

Mullen said he believes it’s critical to pursue all the issues in the CJCS Guidance memorandum, which includes defending vital National interests in the broader Middle East; Resetting, Reconstituting, and Revitalizing our Forces; and properly balancing our global strategic risk. In addition to these issues, he said, there is a whole range of other global concerns such as tensions in Eurasia and Africa, and the impact of the economic crisis.

The Joint Staff has done a lot of work to prepare, he said, and he’s comfortable they are meeting the goals of the transition to the new administration [of Barack Obama]. We serve one leader, he said, and that’s the sitting Commander in Chief.

During the question and answer period, Mullen said he assumes the pirates that captured the super oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia on Saturday, November 15, will ask for a ransom. The piracy does not seem to be connected to al-Qaeda or terrorism, he said.

Dismantling the forces in Iraq is “very doable” but it’s not the sort of thing we can do overnight, Mullen said. In regards to “we have to be out by 2011,” Mullen said it’s in his view that three years is a long time, and conditions can change. We will continue to have discussions with them [the Iraqis], he said, and clearly it’s theoretically possible to pull the troops out by 2011 but conditions would dictate the outcome. We have 150,000 troops in Iraq right now, and a lot of equipment, Mullen said, and clearly we want to be able to withdraw the troops safely.

It is his understanding, Mullen continued, that the Status of Forces Agreement troop withdrawal specifics is in regard to American troops, and does include removal from certain cities by the year 2009. Using Baghdad as an example, Mullen said they’ve been improving security and are attempting to turn one city over at a time [to the Iraqis].

Upon being directly questioned and asked for a yes or no answer, Mullen simply answered “yes” to the specifics of the SOFA agreement: yes, American troops have to be out of Iraq by 2011 regardless of conditions.

As for the timetable of “16 months” (the policy stated by President-Elect Obama), Mullen said that he looks forward to the discussion he will have with Obama, and will give him the “best advice I can.” He continued, saying, “I will not pre-state” what that conversation will entail.