Gates Says More Troops For Afghanistan By Summer

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(01-27) 08:56 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday there is too little "time, patience or money" for the United States to set unrealistic goals for war-torn Afghanistan.

He also confirmed plans that the Pentagon could send two more brigades there by late spring and a third by mid-summer in an effort to try to salvage a country besieged by corruption and increasing violence.

More troops could be sent after that, Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee, but that would hinge on the Defense Department's ability to build a larger infrastructure.

But Gates said there can be no mistaking the realities of the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. He said the United States must ratchet down any heightened expectations in the war — and that the aim should be to eliminate terrorist bases. Gates said less lofty objectives may be unavoidable, simply because the country is so poor.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/27/national/w055300S98.DTL

[MadHound]

1. Great, getting ourselves stuck even further in another quagmire

When will the US learn the mistake of bringing the military to a battle of ideas?

[saigon68]

2. a country besieged by corruption and increasing violence.

Our Puppet can't be trusted

[Demeter]

3. No, No, No!

Guess we're going to be marching on Washington this spring.

[Solly Mack]

4. shakes head

So, we're going to "surge" ("more troops") in Afghanistan but no "benchmarks" (goals) are to be set, though "nation building" ("lofty objectives") will have to take place, and that the aim now is the same as the it's always been - catching the terrorists, eliminating their bases....so don't get your hopes up.("ratchet down any heightened expectations in the war")

[laststeamtrain]

5. Gates: Cash Cows of War Running Dry

Gates: Cash Cows of War Running Dry
By Nathan Hodge

In his first appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee as a member of President Barack Obama's cabinet, Defense Secretary Robert Gates today issued more words of warning to the defense industry and Pentagon bureaucracy.

"One thing we have known for many months is that the spigot of defense funding opened by 9/11 is closing," he said. "With two major campaigns ongoing, the economic crisis and resulting budget pressures will force hard choices on this department."

This reinforces a message Gates has been telegraphing to the weaponeers for some time now. But what he really seems to be suggesting here is that the practice of lavish wartime supplemental spending needs to end. From his testimony:

"Efforts to put the bureaucracy on a war footing have, in my view, revealed underlying flaws in the institutional priorities, cultural preferences, and reward structures of America’s defense establishment – a set of institutions largely arranged to plan for future wars, to prepare for a short war, but not to wage a protracted war. The challenge we face is how well we can institutionalize the irregular capabilities gained and means to support troops in theater that have been, for the most part, developed ad hoc and funded outside the base budget."

Wartime spending needs, Gates added, "must have a home and enthusiastic constituencies in the regular budgeting and procurement process."

This gets to an important point. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been funded largely through emergency spending measures, and that firehose of money has warped the Pentagon budget process and seriously diminished oversight. While supplemental war budgeting is supposed to cover the unpredictable costs for ongoing operations, in practice it's become a way for the services to plump up spending for new equipment and avoid the pain of making sensible long-term budget decisions.

<more>

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/01/gates.html
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[Mari333]

6. big mistake. n/t

[Romulox]

7. Selecting Gates means NO CHANGE to US military policy. nt

[laststeamtrain]

8. ABC: President Obama Heads to the Pentagon Tomorrow

President Obama Heads to the Pentagon Tomorrow
Victor Ratner and Sunlen Miller

January 27, 2009 11:04 AM

ABC News' Victor Ratner and Sunlen Miller reports:

President Obama will visit the Pentagon tomorrow to meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Service Chiefs.

White House aides say this is the next in a series of meetings designed to get a comprehensive view of the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan – and the impact on American forces in the region.

While appearing before Senate Armed Service Committee this morning, Secretary Gates confirmed tomorrow’s visit.

This will mark Obama’s first visit to the Pentagon as President.

On his first day in office last week President Obama met with Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Secretary of Defense Gates, and head of US Central Command Gen. David Petraeus. Tomorrow's meeting will include the service chiefs who run the four military services...http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/01/preside...

[Politicalboi]

9. Why don't we train the Afghans

To fight for themselves. It would be cheaper to recruit them and train them than having us over there. You pay them, cloth them, feed them and train them. I'm sure if they see it as it will get the US out of their country I think they would do it.

[Semi_subversive]

10. My semi-adopted son is headed there in October

He came back from Iraq in July and is having PTSD problems. I'm hoping that he will get out of it since he will be getting full custody of his two year old son. My oldest son will be moving up to the Ft. Lewis area next month to be his roommate and possibly take care of his home when/if he's deployed. We may wind up taking care of his son here in Sacramento for the 12 months he's there.

[Mari333]

11. went thru that myself

they are reusing and reusing the troops like so much fodder for these goddamned unnecessary wars....its total bullshit..these kids are being deployed over and over again..
looks like we need to march on DC again to stop another war.....

[blindpig]

12. Here we go again...

[shadowknows69]

13. If the fire is already out of control you don't throw gasoline on it

Ya douse the fucker with water (money, humanitarian aid, weapons for the people who actually want the Taliban gone) and go home and have a brew.

[balantz]

14. To be considered for the POTUS position means to work for the military industrial elite.

To hell with what we want.

[AlexDeLarge]

15. With the economy going the way it's going

there won't be any need to debate about a draft. We'll all be in the military soon enough, since it's the only job that seems to be available to everyone.

[balantz]

16. I think that's all part of their plan. We will be forced into helping them gain their NWO n/t

[2Design]

17. Were we not specific enough - NO WAR - not just iraq = stop killing people n/t