The Washington Post reports that the top commander in Afghanistan is preparing recommendations for a new strategic direction:
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who took charge of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan last month, appears inclined to request an increase in American troops to implement the new strategy, which aims to use more unconventional methods to combat the growing Taliban insurgency, according to members of an advisory group he convened to work on the assessment. Such a request could receive a chilly reception at the White House, where some members of President Obama’s national security team have expressed reluctance about authorizing any more deployments.
….”There was a very broad consensus on the part of the assessment team that the effort is under-resourced and will require additional resources to get the job done,” a senior military official in Kabul said.
….One senior administration official said some members of Obama’s national security team want to see how McChrystal uses the 21,000 additional troops before any more deployments are authorized. “It’ll be a tough sell,” the official said.
Well, this should be a tough sell. If McChrystal can make his case, fine. But it better be a damn good one.
