Sharing a grim view of developments in Afghanistan, top Pentagon military leaders are recommending that President Barack Obama overhaul U.S. strategy there.
A report prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff advises focusing more on squeezing Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuaries inside neighboring Pakistan while de-emphasizing longer-term goals for bolstering democracy.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has seen the report, but it has not yet been presented to the White House, officials said Tuesday. It is one piece of a broad policy reassessment under way, along with recommendations from the commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus, and other military leaders.
A senior defense official said Tuesday that it would probably be several weeks before the Obama administration rolls out its long-term strategy for Afghanistan. Obama is likely very soon, however, to approve a request from the top commander in Afghanistan for three more U.S. combat brigades, numbering roughly 14,000 troops.
Obama said Tuesday night in an interview with NBC News” Brian Williams that there is already “convergence between myself and the Joint Chiefs and my national security team about what we have to do.” Obama added that “there”s a shared view that Afghanistan is getting worse, not getting better.”
“Afghanistan is really hard,” Obama told NBC. “And we”re going to have to bring all the elements of American power to bear in order to solve the problems.”
