Mullen says more troops needed in Afghanistan

Washington Post:

The top U.S. military officer said Tuesday that thousands more U.S. troops are needed in Afghanistan to regain the initiative against a worsening Taliban insurgency, and that a new program is underway to offer "incentives" to persuade Taliban fighters to switch sides.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that between 2,000 and 4,000 military trainers from the U.S. and its NATO partners will be required in order to accelerate and expand the growth of Afghan army to 250,000 troops and increase the size of the Afghan police force in coming years.

Mullen also strongly suggested that more U.S. combat troops will be required to provide security in the short term, while the Afghan forces are being developed.

"A properly resourced counterinsurgency probably needs more forces," Mullen said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, calling the effort both "manpower and time-intensive."

He said he did not know what ratio of combat to training forces would be needed.

Part of the strategy will be a new initiative to offer "incentives" -- presumably cash -- to lure Taliban fighters away from the insurgency, Mullen said. The plan is similar to one the U.S. military conducted in Iraq, where it paid former Sunni insurgents and tribesmen to stop attacking U.S.-led coalition troops and instead to join a local security program now called the "sons of Iraq."

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The NY Times reports that Sen. Levin is again exposing his ignorance of counterinsurgency warfare by making unrealistic demands to have fewer troops. Of course that is not the way they put it, but it is certainly the correct summary of what he actually said.

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The committee chairman, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, insisted that accelerated efforts to train and equip Afghan security forces should precede any deployment of American troops beyond those already committed by the Obama administration. Mr. Levin’s stance is expected to have great sway, as he is the most powerful Democrat in Congress on military matters.

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Levin was demonstrably wrong about the surge in Iraq. He seems bent on using the wrong strategy again in Afghanistan. The fact is we need to train the Afghans and we need to control the Taliban in the mean time so they will have an area to protect when they finish their training.