The Approaching U.S. Troop Surge

The United States Commander in the Hindu Kush is asking for “increased efforts.” On the other hand, the American people see it differently. And the pressure on Obama continues to grow.

President Barack Obama is now receiving demands for the finalization of a new Afghanistan strategy from military commanders. In a report on the Afghanistan situation, kept under wraps up until now, General Stanley McChrystal, Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A), described the situation there as “serious,” according to U.S. media reports.

McChrystal said the fight against extremists, although not hopeless, could be won only with a change in strategy and “increased efforts.” The goal, according to McChrystal, should be the handing over of command to Afghan soldiers. The Afghan army, however, won’t have that capability for another three years; the police force will need even longer.

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama would be studying the report over the next few days at Camp David. On as important a question as a troop surge, a quick decision isn’t expected very soon.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently hesitated to rule out a future troop surge based on McChrystal’s report. Obama’s special envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, also recently said that there weren’t enough troops in Afghanistan.

Foreign soldiers are experiencing their most dangerous year since the beginning of the Afghan campaign eight years ago. According to the independent website, icasualties.org, more than 300 non-U.S. soldiers were killed in the first eight months of 2009. In 2008, a total of 294 were killed.

Explosive device attacks in southern Afghanistan on Monday killed two more U.S. soldiers. With a total of 47 deaths, August became the deadliest month of the war for the U.S. Surveys show that support for continued engagement is drying up in America. A CBS survey on Tuesday reported that four out of 10 Americans would like to see fewer U.S. troops in Afghanistan; 52 percent believe the war there cannot be won. Fifty-six percent of those surveyed supported U.S. involvement in the war last April.

The decision on whether or not to ramp up troop strength in Afghanistan could become a serious dilemma for Obama. By increasing the number of troops, as the military advises, Obama risks alienating his war-weary base. If, on the other hand, American involvement against the Taliban remains half-hearted, Obama loses his supporters – as well as the battle in Afghanistan’s mountains.

Although Obama’s team hasn’t tired of blaming the Afghanistan debacle on the Bush administration for keeping the U.S. military on the back burner for so long, his loudest Afghanistan supporters, to date, have been Republicans. Obama declared the war in Afghanistan “necessary,” in contrast to the “stupid war” in Iraq.

But Republicans are also losing their desire for war against Islamic extremism. Early this week in the Washington Post, conservative columnist George Will urged Obama to cut his losses and get out of Afghanistan.

Among American conservatives, it was a suggestion that sparked a huge debate. The Republican National Committee, itself - until now no great supporter of Obama’s policies - urged him, in a press release on Tuesday, to “stay the course” in the war.

General McChrystal currently commands about 103,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, among them 63,000 Americans. Most of them have been in Afghanistan since only the beginning of this year.

Those troops were part of a troop surge strategy begun by Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, but decidedly continued by Obama, himself. By year’s end, the total number of troops is expected to be 110,000, of which 68,000 will be Americans.