12/01/2009

Washington, DC - Kirk S. Lippold, Former USS Cole Commander and Senior Military Fellow at Military Families United, released the following statement concerning the news that the President will send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. The President’s decision comes more than three months after receiving General Stanley McChrystal’s recommendations.

“We applaud President Obama’s decision to follow many of General McChrystal’s recommendations and allocate the manpower and resources that our troops need to succeed in the war in Afghanistan. Just like in Iraq, the impact of additional forces working closely with the local people will bring down violence and create the time and capacity for the Afghanistan government to start working with its own people to make their own country secure. If we believe that the people of Afghanistan deserve better than oppressive Taliban rule, then we must add more forces to fight them.

The President must avoid the political temptation to set an arbitrary deadline for disengagement and create an atmosphere of abandonment, not commitment. The United States needs to engage in a meaningful strategic commitment with concrete and measurable benchmarks for success. Only then will the conditions be created that will help stabilize the Afghanistan government. The President must clearly demonstrate to the region that we will not shirk our responsibilities. Regaining momentum in Afghanistan needs to be a sustained and dedicated effort that will require the President to exercise leadership and patience in the months and years ahead. The United States must make a long term commitment to assure the Afghan people that America is dedicated to success in Afghanistan and they will not be abandoned in their time of need.

Americans know our troops are the best-trained and most professional force in the world. If the President and Congress provide them with the resources and time they need, we can be confident they will turn the tide in Afghanistan, as they have done in Iraq.”


CDR Kirk S. Lippold, USN (Ret.) was the Commanding Officer of USS Cole when Al Qaeda terrorists attacked it in October 2000. CDR Lippold, who served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff crafting detainee policy in the initial stages of the war on terror, met with the President in February and with DoJ in June to discuss the closure of Guantanamo Bay. To read his bio click here.