President Obama Pushing Rapid Deployment of New Troops
EmailPresident Obama pushed hard to move up the deployment of the 30,000 new US troops being sent to Afghanistan to get them on the ground within six months, administration officials told ABC News Tuesday.
A senior Army official told ABC News' Martha Raddatz that he could not imagine how that would happen, and that if the troops did arrive that fast, "they will be living in tents."
In anticipation of President Obama's address to the nation on his new strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, officials began providing new details of Pentagon plans, including the deployment of troops to population centers in Eastern Afghanistan, such as Khost, and Southern Afghanistan, such as Kandahar.
Administration officials sought to portray the twenty or so members of the president's "war council" — which include Cabinet officials such as Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pentagon officials such as Central Command commander Gen. David Petraeus and Afghanistan commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal — as united on the new policy, with the three-month review process having created consensus as individual problems and questions were addressed and common assumptions challenged.
"We worked together to narrow divides," an administration official said.
During that process, officials said, the president "ordered up nearly three-dozen intelligence products. It was a deep dive into who the enemy is, what their capacity is, and what would happen under various hypotheticals."
One issue that arose in discussions was the need to have more boots on the ground as soon as possible. An original assessment that it would take the 30,000 new troops a year to fully deploy was, upon urging by the president, changed to six months, officials said.
US forces will seek to degrade Taliban forces both through combat and by enticing low level Taliban fighters to re-join Afghan society, including through employment in government security forces.
As has been happening to a larger degree since McChrystal took command in Afghanistan earlier this year, American troops will embed within Afghan units, and US units will partner with Afghan units and fight alongside them. More US troops will allow more embedding and partnering.
– jpt
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Well this is the spin, let’s wait and see what comes out over the next serveral weeks.
Posted by: Terry | December 1, 2009, 10:37 am 10:37 am
The sooner we take some decisive action, the sooner we can look to getting out of the country.
The sooner we get out of the country, the sooner we can reduce the deficit spending. That is, if the Dems will quit trying to pass ill-conceived social programs.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | December 1, 2009, 10:42 am 10:42 am
If POTUS is in such a hurry to get 30K troops on the ground, maybe he could have given the military a heads-up two months ago…
Sounds like a reverse “hurry-up and wait” to me…
Posted by: N2vip | December 1, 2009, 10:51 am 10:51 am
Pelosi spends $2,993 on flowers…
This is where your “WAR TAX” will be spent
Posted by: nothing more than a photo-op | December 1, 2009, 11:28 am 11:28 am
The Obama Presidency:
The One Legged Man in a Butt Kicking Contest….
Just not working out like he planned.
Posted by: mlimberg | December 1, 2009, 11:56 am 11:56 am
Dear Pres. Obama, Do you really want to be the new “war president”? If you go to West Point Tues & announce you are increasing, rather than withdrawing, troops in Afghanistan, you are the new war president. Pure & simple. And with that you will do the worst possible thing you could do — destroy the hopes & dreams the …millions have placed in you. 30 Bil dollars for nothing & another broken promise. Write your congress, local leaders, senators etc. now! When will we have our say in how our family’s futures are decided?
Posted by: Deborah Myers | December 1, 2009, 12:08 pm 12:08 pm
***US forces will seek to degrade Taliban forces both through combat and by enticing low level Taliban fighters to re-join Afghan society, including through employment in government security forces. ***
I personally like the idea of this approach, IF they are serious about it. Through history many revolutionaries/terrorists turn to insurgent and radical factions because they have nothing left to lose.
If we spend time, not only to remove mid and high level terroist leaders and then provide a way for low level fighters to rejoin soceity as a way to establish a peaceful life for themselves it could hasten US and coalition forces’ plans for withdrawing from Afganistan.
Its either that or we try to occupy the country with as many troop as we can(militarily and economically unsustanable) or we admit defeat and just pull out without further comment.
I’ll admit it is a good plan Mr. President, time will tell how well it works out for our servicemen and women.
Posted by: bobtherepublican | December 1, 2009, 12:37 pm 12:37 pm
This is one of the biggest piles of hooey I’ve read in a while. He “pushed hard” to get the troops there? He’s been “assessing” for nearly 9 months! He’s made sure he’s photographed in lots of photo ops (Veterans Day, Dover Air Field — which was a disgrace to those who died, by the way) show to be contemplating this decision. What they needed was a decision, not 9 months of delay!
And now he’s making this “major speech.” Ever notice how every damn speech this blowhard makes is a major one? It’s as though proclaiming it a major speech takes away from what he actually says (see “race speech.”) And for the past 4 or 5 days we’ve been treated to leak after leak after leak about what he’ll say, and how it’s all so very monumental. He’s forceful, we hear. Yeah, as forceful as a noodle — a boiled one, too.
And now he wants to be out in 3 years, according to CNN. That’s pretty much guaranteeing that anyone who dies from here on in dies in vain. The Taliban and Al-Quada will simply wait us out.
What an absolute disgrace as a commander in chief.
Posted by: Beth | December 1, 2009, 12:37 pm 12:37 pm
the sooner we can reduce the deficit spending.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel
ever figure out why Bush never budgeted money for 2 wars —> deficit spending
Posted by: Please | December 1, 2009, 12:38 pm 12:38 pm
The president should be so fast getting healthcare reform passed instead of expediting another needless “deployment”.
Posted by: stone | December 1, 2009, 12:43 pm 12:43 pm
bobtherepublican — Note the strange similarities to the Iraq war. Hmmmm.
Posted by: lfrichar | December 1, 2009, 1:02 pm 1:02 pm
the sooner we can reduce the deficit spending.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel
ever figure out why Bush never budgeted money for 2 wars —> deficit spending
Posted by: Please | Dec 1, 2009 12:38:39 PM
Why do libs always assume anyone who opposes Obama and spending was happy with the GOP and Bush’s spending? And why is it an excuse to spend? Oh that’s right, spending doesn’t bother liberals so they are only concerned with smearing the opposition.
Dems are mentioned above because they now hold all the cards and have since January. Before that, they held most of the cards since 2006. Doesn’t necessarily mean Rick is a republican.
Posted by: Live! From DC! It's Sat Night! | December 1, 2009, 1:13 pm 1:13 pm
Had Mr. Obama made his decision sooner, the troops would not have to rush during the deployment. It’s like my boss at work – my boss takes so much time to decide what to do because he’s inexperienced and when he finally figured out what we need to do, he rush us unnecessarily and ineffectively.
Posted by: young_voter | December 1, 2009, 1:27 pm 1:27 pm
The One would not have to expedite troop deployment if he had not taken THREE months to contemplate resourcing the strategy he announced back in March for the war he campaigned on as a “war of necessity.”
Posted by: I'm Not a President, but I Play One on TV | December 1, 2009, 1:28 pm 1:28 pm
Just lay low Al Queda, sit back and relax Taliban..Obama is leaving Afganistan in 2011, maybe the taliban and Al Queda can get a photo-op with Obama
Posted by: nothing more than a photo-op | December 1, 2009, 2:18 pm 2:18 pm
US forces will seek to degrade Taliban forces both through combat and by enticing low level Taliban fighters to re-join Afghan society, including through employment in government security forces.
___________________________________________________
I’m not sold on the fact that we can “entice low level Taliban fighters to rejoin society”. As a matter of fact, I don’t think it’s possible. We have ALOT going against us in this battle. 1) The religion factor-most, if not all, of the “members” of the Taliban (high level or low level) are Muslim. If they are devoted to Islam, that would pit them against any Jew or Christian off the bat. I know the military does not advocate any one type of religion, but I would assume most of our soldiers of faith are some type of Christian faith. That in and of itself poses a threat whether anyone wants to discuss it or not. 2) They are dedicated to their cause at ANY cost. These terrorists think nothing of strapping on a bomb or putting one on a woman with children by her side to kill the “infidels”. Getting through that kind of mindset is next to impossible. 3) Finances-considering they are being funded by groups with an extraordinary amount of disposable money (from oil and drug trade), we (and the Afghan government) would have to be willing to put out a chunk of change to be able to compete with what they are getting now. The US is broke. Don’t let that fact slip by.
These main factors are not going to be a cake walk to overcome. The hatred for our country and our military runs very, very deep. These bastards in the Taliban are united and growing stronger everyday. I don’t know how all of this will go down. I don’t think anybody does. But I DO know this-putting a timeline out there for our withdrawal is a suicide pill. Whatever short term plans the enemy had, they will now become long term.
The only hope we have is this-that the timeline put forth will be for the Taliban’s (and Al Qaeda’s) COMPLETE demise-that maybe we can be confident enough to KNOW we can take them down in 3 years-that maybe, just maybe, there will be a change in the mindset. But as for me, I won’t be holding my breath. I love my country and may God bless our troops, but I don’t think we can help but be pessimistic about a kum-ba-yah victory.
Posted by: Shoe | December 1, 2009, 2:40 pm 2:40 pm
I arrived in Bosnia on January 22, 1996. And guess what I LIVED IN A TENT! In the mud and snow! We didn’t have hard shelter for 3 months. We ate MREs for over a month. We didn’t have showers for a month. It is the military. That is what has to happen sometimes. Get over it.
Posted by: jb | December 1, 2009, 2:40 pm 2:40 pm
“What’s funny is that the Dems have more credibility on the deficit-reduction, fiscal, economic,jobs and domestic fronts– but the naysayers aren’t rooted in reality.”
Yeah, sure the Dems do. In BIZARRO WORLD. Our economic crisis is DEEPENING as Dems run all three branches of government. Europe is recovering. That’s no coincidence. But it is REALITY, something liberals have trouble seeing with their very own eyes.
Posted by: Mary | December 1, 2009, 3:41 pm 3:41 pm
Our economic crisis is DEEPENING as Dems run all three branches of government. Europe is recovering.
_________________________________
Europe is recovering is it? Those socialist countries over there doing better than the United States?
You might want to do some actual research on what is happening in Europe.
Nobody is out of the pit economically – there is a long way to go – here, in Europe, in every industrialized western country.
Posted by: tierra | December 1, 2009, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm
Helene, did the CBO mention this?
Washington Post (11/24/09):
“[In Washington DC], joblessness for 16-to-24-year-old black men has reached Great Depression proportions — 34.5 percent in October, more than three times the rate for the general U.S. population.”
Please feel free to tell the nearly 30 million unemployed and underemployed Americans that ARRA is working great while they struggle to stay in their homes and put food on their tables. I’m sure they care!
Hmmm, just WHERE are those 3.5 million green jobs Obama promised months ago? Oh yeah, they’re heading to India, China, and South Korea.
Hope and Change!
Posted by: Mary | December 1, 2009, 4:35 pm 4:35 pm
“Nobody has a magic pill that will satisfy the immediate gratification folks that don’t understand how things work– particularly when conservatives in both parties are unwilling to do what is necessary to get us on track quickly after the Republicans brought us to the brink of disaster.”
I know! Those fiscal conservatives are positively nuts thinking the government should spend less than it brings in. Insane! Why are we even bothering with a measly $787 billion anyway? As long as we’re printing money, let’s spend what we have to so that we “get on track quickly”… $100 QUADRILLION!! The more debt the better, right? Let’s do this your way since you obviously understand “how things work.”
Posted by: Mary | December 1, 2009, 6:20 pm 6:20 pm
Posted by: Mary | Dec 1, 2009 6:20:05 PM
Mary you seem blissfully ignorant of the fact the Republican Bush administration increased the national debt by an average of $500 BILLION dollars EVERY year they were in office – and then left the White House with the economy in virtual free-fall collapse, hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs every month, major banks and auto industry collapsing and foreclosure and bankruptcies through the roof.
You want us to thank you for that? You would like us to pretend it didn’t happen? You would like us to pretend we weren’t very close to a fall into a depression? You want us to pretend the Republicans did a great job?
No thanks.
Posted by: tierra | December 1, 2009, 7:53 pm 7:53 pm
“Mary you seem blissfully ignorant of the fact the Republican Bush administration increased the national debt by an average of $500 BILLION dollars EVERY year they were in office – and then left the White House with the economy in virtual free-fall collapse, hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs every month, major banks and auto industry collapsing and foreclosure and bankruptcies through the roof.”
But Bush! But Cheney! But Republicans!
Yawn. I’m a debt-free fiscal conservative. What makes you think I supported reckless spending? Congressional Democrats sure didn’t complain about Bush’s spending, except that they wanted to spend EVEN MORE. Did Pelosi not come to power in 2007? Did Democrats not control the legislative branch? Did they not have control of all the oversight committees, including BANKING and HOUSING? Do you remember them sounding the alarm about the “economic freefall” about to hit us? I don’t either. Peter Schiff wrote a book warning about the impending disaster in 2006. He was ignored. “Geniuses” like Paul Krugman never saw it coming.
Incidentally, it’s been 11 months and trillions of dollars have been spent. The Fed isn’t telling us how they’re spending our tax money. Banks continue to fail nearly weekly. Foreclosures and bankruptcies are still skyrocketing. Commercial real estate is starting to implode. The unemployment rate is still rising. Thousands of jobs are still being sent overseas (yes, including green jobs). The manufacturing and construction sectors are still shrinking. Bailed out GM, Chrysler, AIG, and Fannie/Freddie are still all bleeding vast amounts of red ink. Afghanistan is the deadliest it’s ever been. A record 36 million (1 in 8) Americans are on food stamps (including 1 in 4 children).
That’s the reality of the “Hope and Change” Obama has brought us.
Posted by: Mary | December 1, 2009, 8:33 pm 8:33 pm
Incidentally, it’s been 11 months
Posted by: Mary
and as we all know, there were no problems in America or around the world, pre Obama
you guys are such a joke
Posted by: W | December 2, 2009, 12:34 am 12:34 am