Adm. Mullen Rallies U.S. Troops: ‘Slope on This Insurgency Is Going in the Wrong Direction’

ABC News' Luis Martinez reports: Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stressed today that the surge of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan next spring has about 18 to 24 months to turn around the Taliban’s momentum in that country. Mullen held town halls with Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and soldiers at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  Both military bases will be impacted by the president’s surge of 30,000 marines and soldiers into Afghanistan. It was announced today that some Marine units based at Camp Lejeune will depart soon for Afghanistan as part of President Obama’s decision last week to send more troops to Afghanistan.  The 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, will be rotating units into eastern Afghanistan this spring as part of a scheduled troop rotation, but they may also end up contributing troops later as part of the surge.  At Camp Lejeune, Mullen said, “We don’t have a lot of time. We’ve got about 18-24 months – the slope on this insurgency is going in the wrong direction … We’ve got to turn that insurgency around – reverse the momentum is what Gen McChrystal says is his top priority of this insurgency.” Hence, the need for 30,000 additional troops to arrive in “lightning bolt” fashion. But Mullen also stressed at both town halls that it doesn’t matter how many U.S. troops are added to the fight unless President Karzai’s government delivers “on his part of the deal.” “I don’t underestimate the challenge that President Karzai has, not just at the national level in Kabul, but throughout the country down to its tribal leaders, to deliver security goods and services to the Afghan people and if we don’t get that right. If we don’t get that right — 30,000, 60,000, 90,000 — it wouldn’t  make any difference,” said Mullen.  Mullen said that in the context of a counterinsurgency fight, the U.S.is losing in Afghanistan.  He explained to the troops at Fort Campbell that when it comes to counterinsurgency, there’s no middle ground, you are either winning or your losing.  "We are not winning, which means we are losing and as we are losing, the message traffic out there to recruits keeps getting better and better and more keep coming,” Mullen said, referring to recruits for foreign fighters flowing into the fight in Afghanistan. Noting that most Taliban fighters are not ideologues, Mullen said he and other military leaders are hopeful of a repeat of Iraq where the Sons of Iraq played such a vital role in turning the tide.  In the end, it will be the local population that decides that they’ve had enough of the Taliban he said.  “It’s not about how many you kill, quite frankly the people have to throw the bad guys out,” said Mullen, "and that’s only going to happen if people are in an environment where they and their families feel secure." Mullen clarified at both town halls that the July 2011 date set by the administration to begin the process of transitioning secure parts of Afghanistan to Afghan security forces is not a deadline. “President Obama has not said we’re leaving,” he said at Fort Campbell adding,”I want to say for emphasis there’s no deadline, no amount of troops to come out in 2011 and there’s no withdrawal date or anything like that.”   He said later at Camp Lejeune, “the president hasn’t put a number on that, it could be a small number, it could be a large number” of U.S. troops that come home if the transition process is successful.
 
“I have confidence that in some of the provinces, some of the districts, that we will be able to turn the security over to the afghan security forces and start thinning our forces but don’t know where it’ll be right now, that’s the mission over the next 18 months.” Mullen anticipates a rise in U.S. casualties as more troops head to Afghanistan, as happened in Iraq, during the early part of the surge.  "I expect a tough fight in 2010," he said. Mullen’s comments on the next 18 and 24 months resulted from a light moment when a Marine asked him if he honestly thought 30,000 troops would be enough to turn the tide in Afghanistan.  Mullen briskly answered, “I honestly do.”  The Marine questioner meekly replied “thank you” and turned away from the microphone to the laughter of his fellow marines, but Mullen quickly proceeded with a long explanation that explained what needed to be accomplished over the next 18 to 24 months in Afghanistan.