McChrystal gives full backing to Afghan plan

[unhappycamper]

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry arrive on Capitol Hill on Dec. 8, prior to testifying before the House Armed Services Committee.


McChrystal gives full backing to Afghan plan
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 8, 2009 17:31:40 EST

The top U.S. general in Afghanistan told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he “fully supports” President Barack Obama’s new strategy and decision to deploy tens of thousands of troops to the war and that those decisions “reflect an effective and realistic approach.”

Questions had been raised about whether Gen. Stanley McChrystal had taken issue with the Obama decision, announced last week, to deploy 30,000 additional troops as part of a broad counterinsurgency campaign aimed at ending the eight-year-old conflict.

In the declassified version of his summertime assessment of conditions in Afghanistan, which was leaked to the media, McChrystal said “additional resources are required,” without elaboration. But the full version reportedly included options for 40,000 and even 80,000 additional troops.

McChrystal declined to comment in open session about the various options he had proposed in his assessment, saying the details were classified. Nor would he bite on questions about whether he would recommend deploying even more troops should future assessments convince him of the need to do so.

“I don’t believe that we are going to need more forces in 18 months,” he said. “But I’ll provide my best military advice.”


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/military_mcchrystal_afghanistan_120809w/