In absence of White House Afghanistan strategy, John McCain proposes one of of his own
WASHINGTON — Frustrated by a lack of direction from the Trump administration on the continuing war in Afghanistan, Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain is taking strategy into his own hands and calling for an increase in American troops there.
The Arizona Republican announced Thursday that he is offering an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2018 that would offer a strategy for dealing with the war in Afghanistan. The NDAA is expected to come up for a vote when lawmakers return from their August break.
For months, the White House and Pentagon have been wrangling over a new strategy for Afghanistan, where U.S. forces have been fighting since 2001. The Taliban insurgency has revitalized in recent years, rolling back gains made by American-backed Afghan forces. Terrorist groups, including al Qaeda and a branch of the Islamic State, have taken advantage of havens there as well.
Army Gen. John Nicholson, the top commander of U.S. and allied forces there, has requested several thousand more U.S. forces to augment the force of 8,400 troops there. President Trump delegated to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to set troop levels, and Pentagon officials this spring proposed putting troops closer to combat and smashing insurgents with more airstrikes.
Since then, the White House has been silent on the new strategy, and advisers are said to be split on whether to increase the American presence or pull back. Another approach, advocated by Erik Prince, the former owner of the military contractor Blackwater, would outsource the fighting to more than 5,500 contractors, USA TODAY has reported.
More: Trump White House weighs plan to privatize much of the war in Afghanistan
McCain, a hawk on Afghanistan, saw fit to step in.
“America is adrift in Afghanistan. President Obama’s ‘don’t lose’ strategy has put us on a path to achieving the opposite result,†McCain said in a statement. “Now, nearly seven months into President Trump’s administration, we’ve had no strategy at all as conditions on the ground have steadily worsened. The thousands of Americans putting their lives on the line in Afghanistan deserve better from their commander-in-chief.â€
“We must face facts: we are losing in Afghanistan and time is of the essence if we intend to turn the tide,†McCain continued.
McCain said the amendment was created in consultation with “some of our nation’s most experienced and respected former military and intelligence officials.â€
The amendment calls for the U.S. to pursue an “integrated civil-military strategy.†Among the ways McCain proposes the U.S. can achieve its objectives is to increase U.S. counter-terrorism forces sent to Afghanistan.Â
The Pentagon, under Obama, had been moving to end its presence in Afghanistan. But the deteriorating security situation there prompted Obama to reverse course and leave the current force in place. Restrictions remain, however, on how close troops advising Afghan forces can come to combat and on bombing Taliban targets.
McCain’s proposal would address those issues by putting more U.S. advisers in the field and “significantly increasing the availability of U.S. air power.”
McCain is undergoing treatment for brain cancer. He had pressed his Senate colleagues to bring up the defense bill before Congress left Washington for the August recess, but he could not get agreement to bring up the bill.
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