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Top of the Agenda: More Troops for Afghanistan
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee an increase in troops in Afghanistan is "probably" necessary (WashPost), but did not specify a number. Mullen did say two thousand to four thousand additional NATO and U.S. military trainers would help "jump start" the building of Afghan security forces.
The Wall Street Journal says the support of Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates for a troop surge in Afghanistan would make it "easier" for U.S. President Barack Obama to approve the recommendations of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. military commander in Kabul. McChrystal will likely submit a request later this month for some forty thousand additional troops in Afghanistan. There are sixty-two thousand U.S. troops there now.
Analysis
On Foreign Policy, CFR's Daniel Markey says the United States and NATO should press Kabul to organize a second constitutional convention to "ratify a new structure for democratic governance."
Military strategist Kimberly Kagan tells CFR the only way to ensure victory is a better-resourced counterinsurgency campaign focused on securing population centers.
Background
A CFR Backgrounder looks at the Afghan national security forces.
An interactive CFR timeline tracks the history of the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan.
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