The commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) claimed that any withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan should be based on conditions, not a calendar deadline.
U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel made his argument during his nomination hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee to take over as chief of U.S. Central Command. His comments echo the Obama administration’s walking back of its original goal to remove all U.S. military personnel from the country by the end of Obama’s presidency in January 2017.
“[I] absolutely support [a] conditions based approach,” said Votel, who agreed with Sen. John McCain that the situation in Afghanistan is “deteriorating.”
Votel noted that several conditions would need to be met before a complete U.S. military withdrawal in Afghanistan. Overall, he said that “Afghanistan’s ability to sustain their forces” would be key. Included in sustaining that force would be the ability for the Afghan military to give its forces aerial support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Votel described Afghanistan’s air capabilities as a “lagging development” that would need to be addressed.
U.S. involvement in Afghanistan will be hinged on the progress of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANSDF), according to Votel. He noted that though there has been improvement, the ANDSF must improve before it can operate completely free of U.S. support.
“The performance of the ANDSF was uneven during the 2015 fighting season,” said Votel in his written testimony to the committee. “The 2015 fighting season made clear the continued ANDSF challenges in areas such as combat enablers, logistics, ministerial capacity, and leadership.”
Votel said the U.S. will need to fill in gaps in intelligence, training, advising and close air support missions while the Afghans continue to become self-sufficient.
The Haqqani Network, an affiliate of the Taliban, was of continued concern to both Votel and some of the committee members. Sen. Kelly Ayotte asked Votel what can be done to stop the Haqqanis from impeding progress in Afghanistan. Votel replied by explaining the need to engage with Pakistan, a U.S. ally and neighbor of Afghanistan, in order to stop the Haqqanis from freely crossing the border.
“We need Pakistan to take decisive actions against the Haqqani Network,” said Votel. “The Pakistanis are uniquely positioned to counter HQN [the Haqqani Network], which remains the greatest threat to our forces and long-term stability in Afghanistan.”
Send tips to russ@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.