President Barack Obama”s choice to lead US and NATO forces in Afghanistan has been asked to carry out a review of military strategy and report his findings within two months, the Pentagon said on Monday.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal and the officer nominated to be his deputy, Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, to “get a ground-eye view of what”s going on, and report back what they believe to be the situation” in Afghanistan in 60 days, Pentagon press secretary Goeff Morrell told reporters.
McChrystal was nominated to replace the current commander General David McKiernan, who was sacked after Gates said he wanted “fresh thinking” in the Afghan war.
McChrystal must still be confirmed by the US Senate before taking up his post but he is widely expected to be approved.
The defense secretary wants the new commander to look at possible changes to military strategy as well as assess the level of US forces, which will rise to about 68,000 later in the year, Morrell told a news conference.
The review will look at “what changes in the strategy should be made, and particularly from a personnel standpoint, from a manpower standpoint, trying to determine the needs and what can be done to try to consolidate and get the most we can from the resources we have on the ground,” he said.
