Obama Orders Increase to U.S. Troop Strength in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday, December 1, that U.S. strategy for the Afghanistan war requires an increase of 30,000 additional troops. Speaking at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, Obama explained the significant national-security interests of the United States in Afghanistan. He outlined America’s goals: to prevent the Taliban from regaining control; to help stabilize the country by training Afghan security forces to take over the fight against al-Qaeda. In the past year, violence has risen in Afghanistan to a level not seen since the Taliban’s overthrow by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001, soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Emphasizing that the mission in Afghanistan will be limited, the president set out a plan to withdraw U.S. troops beginning in mid-2011.

Obama’s decision came after well over a month of high-level meetings with military and diplomatic advisers including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and National Security Adviser General James Jones. Before announcing his decision, the president briefed key allies on his strategy. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also called on other NATO members to support Washington by upping their troop commitments in Afghanistan.

In his televised address to the American people on the subject of war strategy in Afghanistan, Obama emphasized the cost of the troop increase, about $1 million per newly deployed soldier. He vowed not to commit the United States to an ongoing war that it could not afford. The administration is now sending top officials to testify before Congress.

Related Links

• Obama Afghanistan Strategy: More Troops in Quickly, Drawdown in 2011
  This article reviews President Obama’s decision to send 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan; includes video clip from the president’s West Point speech and additional coverage of “Decision: Afghanistan.”
  (Source: CNN, December 2, 2009)
• FACTBOX: How Obama’s Afghan Strategy Is Shaping Up
  This article provides an overview of President Obama’s newly announced strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
  (Source: Reuters, December 1, 2009)
• Obama’s Afghan Speech: Full Text
  This link provides the full text of President Obama’s long-awaited speech outlining U.S. strategy and increased troop levels in Afghanistan.
  (Source: BBC News, December 2, 2009)
• U.S. Allies Must Send More Troops to Afghanistan: NATO
  This article relates the perspective of NATO leaders to the Obama administration’s decision to increase U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan.
  (Source: Reuters, November 26, 2009)