{"id":28,"date":"2009-08-05T14:10:26","date_gmt":"2009-08-05T14:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/northwestvets.com\/blog1\/2009\/08\/05\/still-no-plan-for-afghanistan\/"},"modified":"2012-05-20T06:00:17","modified_gmt":"2012-05-20T13:00:17","slug":"still-no-plan-for-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northwestvets.com\/blog1\/still-no-plan-for-afghanistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Still No Plan for Afghanistan!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated\u00a020\u00a0May 2012:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan<\/a> – 27 Mar 09<\/span> – White House<\/em>
\n“Today, I am announcing a comprehensive, new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. And this marks the conclusion of a careful policy review, led by Bruce [Reidel], that I ordered as soon as I took office.”<\/p>\n

Report on Afghan war will not ask for more troops<\/a> – Google News<\/em> – 5 Aug 09<\/p>\n

Gen. may ask for more troops for Afghanistan<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 31 Jul 09<\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>: The administration and Pentagon have been reviewing the Afghanistan policy for over seven months with still no real plan in place to WIN<\/span> this war!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0CNN Poll: Support for Afghanistan war drops<\/a> – CNN – 6 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0U.S. Commander Warns Taliban Getting Stronger<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 10 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Pentagon Disputes Claim That Taliban Is Winning in Afghanistan<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 10 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Patience Needed to Beat Taliban, McChrystal Says<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 11 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Operation Aims to Secure Southern Afghanistan for Elections<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 12 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Order to protect Afghans frustrates U.S. troops<\/a> – MSNBC<\/em> – 13 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0U.S. Marines Fight House-to-House in Afghan Taliban Stronghold<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 13 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Gates: ‘A few years’ of combat in Afghanistan<\/a> – Yahoo! News<\/em> – 13 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Gates Might Agree to More Troops for Afghanistan<\/a> – VOA<\/em> – 13 Aug 09<\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>: I believe it is becoming very clear just looking at the headlines above that there is absolutely no clear plan in Afghanistan.\u00a0 The war in Afghanistan\u00a0is\u00a0becoming more\u00a0like Vietnam each day, where the changing rules of engagement will endanger our troops with\u00a0no clear policy for them to follow.\u00a0 This is NOT\u00a0good for moral…\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

SECDEF Gates, Gen. McChrystal and the White House seem to be changing their positions on a daily basis!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Gates Notes Security Progress Prior to Afghan Election<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 13 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Top General in Afghanistan Looks to Replace Support Force With Combat Troops<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 14 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama Pledges Increased Pressure in Afghanistan<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 20 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0War strategy in Afghanistan due for shift as patience runs short<\/a> – Seattle Times<\/em> – 24 Aug 09
\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Allied military commanders in Afghanistan have told a senior U.S. envoy they need more troops to deal with an intensifying insurgency in the country’s east, raising the possibility the Obama administration may refocus the war on the lawless border with Pakistan.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>
\n\"\"\u00a0Obama facing hard choices on Afghan war plan<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 24 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Report: Change strategy for fighting Taliban<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 31 Aug 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0McChrystal Delivers Assessment to U.S., NATO Leaders<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 31 Aug 09\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Op-ed: Time to Get Out of Afghanistan<\/a> by George F. Will – Washington Post<\/em> – 1 Sep 09
\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>:\u00a0 I hate to say it, but Mr. Will has raised some very important\u00a0points that need to be considered. Clearly the administration has no clear plan after nearly seven months of reviews\u00a0of what direction to take. Gen. McChrystal wants more troops but will probably not get\u00a0the numbers he wants because of pressures from the left.\u00a0 President Obama and SECDEF Gates have\u00a0some very tough decisions to make, and soon! – Roger Young<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Editorial: Setback in Afghanistan – The right response is not a retreat.<\/a> – Washington Post<\/em> – 3 Sep 09<\/p>\n

Military leery of Afghanistan escalation with no clear goals<\/a> by Nancy A. Youssef, Jonathan S. Landay and Warren P. Strobel – 7 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Gates Tells Al-Jazeera U.S. Cannot Think of Afghan Withdrawal<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 8 Sep 09
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>: So is this the Obama plan for Afghanistan? A nice chat with Al-Jazeera?<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>
\n\"\"\u00a0Trapped in Afghanistan killing zone, nowhere to run<\/a> by Jonathan S. Landay – 9 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Airstrikes in Afghanistan drop by almost half<\/a> – USA Today<\/em> – 9 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Congress wants hearings on war assessment<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 10 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Pelosi: Upping troops to Afghanistan unpopular<\/a> – Yahoo! News<\/em> – 10 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Open Letter to the President Regarding Afghanistan<\/em>\u00a0by co-editor, Roger Young. Please see:<\/h5>\n

http:\/\/northwestvets.com\/President_Afghanistan.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Outmanned and outgunned in Afghanistan<\/a> by Jonathan S. Landay – Seattle Times<\/em> – 14 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0More \u2018combat enablers\u2019 Afghan-bound<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 14 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Mullen Says More Forces Likely Needed in Afghanistan<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 15 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Analysis: White House postponing hard calls on war<\/a> – Yahoo!<\/em> – 15 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Gates Weighs Need for More Troops in Afghanistan<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 15 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama: No ‘Immediate Decision Pending’ on More Troops to Afghanistan<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 16 Sep 09<\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>:\u00a0 I suggest our viewers get a copy of “Dereliction of Duty”<\/em> by H.R. McMaster.\u00a0 You will see that history is repeating itself… Roger Young<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0GOP seeks Afghanistan info; Gates urges patience<\/a> – Yahoo! News<\/em> – 17 Sep 09<\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>: Yet another in a long list of stall tactics by the Pentagon and Obama administration. Can our troops wait?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Editorial: Afghanistan is not Vietnam … yet<\/a> – Washington Times<\/em> – 17 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Military growing impatient with Obama on Afghanistan<\/a> by Nancy A. Youssef – 18 Sep 09<\/p>\n

“…Adding to the frustration, according to officials in Kabul and Washington, are White House and Pentagon directives made over the last six weeks that Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, not submit his request for as many as 45,000 additional troops because the administration isn’t ready for it…”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Afghanistan Strategy Must Focus on al-Qaida, Obama Says<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 20 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0White House Urges Patience on Afghan War Strategy, After McChrystal Sounds Warning<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 21 Sep 09<\/p>\n

Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s redacted assessment<\/a> courtesy of The Washington Post<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>
\n\"\"\u00a0Pentagon Delays Troop Request for Afghan War<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 21 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Officials ponder adding drones, not troops<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 22 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0U.S. Commanders Told to Shift Focus to More Populated Areas<\/a> – The Washington Post<\/em> – 22 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Commander to Request Thousands More Troops to Afghanistan As Early as Wednesday<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 22 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Powerful Lawmakers Press Desire for Gen. McChrystal to Testify on Afghan Strategy<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 23 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Joint Chiefs Chairman Likely to Sign Off on Afghanistan Troop Request, Aides Say<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 25 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama Calls Afghanistan NATO\u2019s Most Important Mission<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 29 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0White House Pushes Back on Afghan War Criticism Ahead of Strategy Session<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 30 Sep 09
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Ahead of a key strategy session on the Afghanistan war, the White House fired back Wednesday at critics who say President Obama is stalling on Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s request for more troops…”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Afghanistan Talks Focus on Means, Not Ends, Press Secretary Says<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 30 Sep 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama’s War Council Divided on Afghan Strategy<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 1 Oct 09\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opinion:\u00a0McChrystal Now Just One of Many Leaders as Obama Rethinks Afghan Strategy <\/a>– FoxNews<\/em> – 1 Oct 09<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Gen. Stanley McChrystal has seemingly gone from President Obama’s counterinsurgency czar to just one among a sea of faces advising him on war policy in Afghanistan.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Afghan Decision Expected in Matter of Weeks<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 1 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama Meets With McChrystal in Denmark<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 2 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama, advisers weigh Afghanistan options<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 7 Oct 09
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>:\u00a0\u00a0My guess is the new strategy will be “McChrystal Light.”\u00a0 It is lonely at the top, and being Commander-In-Chief cannot be a good position for a professional politician…\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Official: Obama to Send Enough Troops to Keep Al Qaeda at Bay<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 8 Oct 09<\/p>\n

Opinion: Decision time in Afghanistan: Obama as Hamlet<\/a> by Charles Krauthammer – Seattle Times<\/em> – 10 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Pentagon Refutes Report That Obama Dispatched 13,000 Additional Troops to Afghanistan<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 13 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0White House: No Troop Decision Until Afghan Election is Resolved<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 18 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Gates: U.S. Cannot Wait for Afghan Election to Make Troop Decision<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 20 Oct 09
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Defense Secretary Robert Gates tells reporters aboard his plane to Tokyo that the administration cannot “sit on our hands” with regard to troop levels in Afghanistan.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0U.S. Tested Afghan Options in Secret War Game<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 26 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama Says He Will Not ‘Rush’ Decision on Afghanistan Strategy, Troop Levels<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 26 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0McCain exhorts Obama to make Afghan decision now<\/a> – Seattle Times<\/em> – 28 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama Reportedly Eyeing ‘McChrystal Light’ Plan for Afghan War With Small Troop Boost<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 28 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Officials: No rift between Obama, McChrystal<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 31 Oct 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama Requests More Options for Troop Levels<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 31 Oct 09
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>:\u00a0 This has\u00a0become ridiculous!\u00a0On March 27th the President announced\u00a0his “new” policy and yet the debate continues…\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0White House: Afghan decision in coming weeks<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 1 Nov 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama Calls for Revised Afghanistan War Options<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 12 Nov 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama: Afghanistan Decision a Matter of ‘Getting This Right’<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 13 Nov 09
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>:\u00a0 One could say that\u00a0our President appears to be tortured to make\u00a0the right decision and being extremely thoughtful.<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I believe\u00a0that our President\u00a0is\u00a0“dithering” because he knows any decision to increase troop strength will upset his base.\u00a0I believe\u00a0that politics is once again playing a major role in important military decisions as\u00a0was often the case\u00a0during Vietnam.\u00a0 President Johnson and McNamara repeatedly\u00a0ignored the recommendations of the Joint Chiefs and their commanders in Vietnam and decided to let the “whiz kids” micromanage the war from D.C. and we all know the outcome…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Time on Afghan Strategy is Well-spent, Petraeus Says<\/a> – DefenseLink<\/em> – 13 Nov 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Big costs weigh on troop debate<\/a> – Seattle Times<\/em> – 15 Nov 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama: Administration Leaks on Afghan War Strategy a Firing Offense<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 18 Nov 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama Won’t Make Afghan Decision Before Thanksgiving, Aides Say<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 19 Nov 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Lawmakers Propose ‘War Surtax’ to Pay for Troop Increase in Afghanistan<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 23 Nov 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama to announce Afghanistan decision soon<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 24 Nov 09<\/p>\n

Obama promises to ‘finish the job’ in Afghanistan<\/a> – Yahoo! News<\/em> – 24 Nov 09<\/h5>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama Issues Marching Orders on Afghanistan War Strategy<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 30 Nov 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0Obama to Outline Plan to Send 30,000 Troops to Afghanistan Over Six Months<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 1 Dec 09<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0The New Way Forward – The President’s Address [on Afghanistan]<\/a> – White House<\/em> – 1 Dec 09<\/p>\n

Written transcript<\/a> – White House<\/em> – 2 Dec 09<\/p>\n

Gates Signals Afghanistan Withdrawal Date Could Move<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 2 Dec 09<\/p>\n

McChrystal ‘Absolutely Supportive’ of Surge Timeline<\/a> – FoxNews<\/em> – 2 Dec 09<\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>:\u00a0 After months of review, the new strategy has been announced by President Obama. This closes this topic but it will remain open for comments.<\/h5>\n

Bob Woodward book details Obama battles with advisers over exit plan for Afghan war<\/strong><\/a> – Washington Post<\/em> – 22 Sep 10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why Is He Sending Them?”<\/strong><\/a> by Charles Krauthammer – 1 Oct 10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Newsletter comment<\/span>: I read the book myself this past weekend. Mullen, Gates, Petraeus, McChrystal & Hillary Clinton pushed for a 40,000 troop surge for a counterinsurgency that would take from 12-15 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obama scaled that plan back to 30,000 with the only real hope of “degrading the Taliban” with reviews scheduled for this December and next July – “exit ramps.” I have no doubt he intends to scale back our forces next July despite what Petraeus and Gates have been saying that these are simply scheduled reviews. Therefore, why the “surge”?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To be very honest Woodward’s book is depressing and when the facts get out to our troops it will be completely demoralizing. All concerned should not only read the Woodward book, but also “Dereliction of Duty”<\/em> by H.R. McMaster for a direct comparison of what happened in Vietnam. History is sadly repeating itself. – Roger Young<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Obama to move U.S. closer to Afghanistan exit<\/a> – ArmyTimes<\/em> – 21 Jun 11<\/strong><\/p>\n

Opinion: Obama and Afghanistan — The Careful Management of Failure<\/a> by Christian Whiton – 22 Jun 11<\/strong><\/p>\n

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