Posted on 06/24/2010 1:09:07 PM PDT by jazusamo
Gen. David Petraeus will be given the flexibility to submit recommendations on the Afghanistan strategy once he arrives there, but he is on board with the overall approach, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today.
The president has established the strategy, but from my perspective, General Petraeus will have the flexibility to look at the campaign plan and the approach and and all manner of things when he gets to Afghanistan, assuming Senate confirmation, Gates said at the Pentagon Thursday.
Any new commander can make changes as he sees fit, he said. And so my expectation is, certainly, that thats what General Petraeus will do widely and make adjustments.
Among the issues Petraeus may examine carefully involve the rules of engagement, which govern when troops can and cannot fire. Some believe those rules under McChrystal were too restrictive, effectively tying one hand behind the backs of troops.
McChrystal had emphasized the need to protect the civilian population a tenet of an effective counterinsurgency strategy. Petraeus, who literally wrote the book on counterinsurgency by writing the Armys manual on it, is sensitive to this issue.
Another issue is the July 2011 deadline to begin withdrawing troops. Petraeus testimony last week suggested that he had some concerns about that timeline. After fainting during testimony, Petraeus returned to the Senate Armed Services Committee the next day to reinforce the message: that the July 2011 deadline is the beginning of the end, not the end to the end.
It is important that July 2011 be seen for what it is: the date when a process beings, based on conditions, not the date when the U.S. heads for the exits, Petraeus said.
Only about 20,000 troops of the surge of 30,000 Obama ordered up last year are there. By fall, the US will have about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. The presidents decision to begin pulling troops out next summer stands, he said.
In a brief interview on Capitol Hill by CNNs Dana Bash, Petraeus said he supported Obamas strategy but seemed to leave room to tweak it as needed. I support the presidents policy and I will also provide the best professional military advice as we conduct assessments, he said.
Gates also acknowledged that progress in Afghanistan, in particular in the southern sector, has been slower and harder than we anticipated, but at the same time said its not as bad as it seems to be.
I do not believe we are bogged down, he said
bump
I believe we have been in this position before, at least damn close. Don’t have a good feeling about this and feel truly saddened for our troops although they have full support. A war needs to be fought at home to secure our borders so yes bring them home.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.