Panetta Announces Combat Forces to Leave Afghanistan Next Year
- Posted on February 1, 2012 at 8:22pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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BRUSSELS (The Blaze/AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta laid out the administration’s most explicit portrayal of the U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan, saying Wednesday that U.S. and other international forces in Afghanistan expect to end their combat role in 2013 and continue a training and advisory role with Afghan forces through 2014.
Panetta’s remarks to reporters traveling with him to a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels showed how the foreign military role in Afghanistan is expected to evolve from the current high-intensity fight against the Taliban to a support role with Afghans fully in the lead. The timeline fits neatly into the U.S. political calendar, enabling President Barack Obama to declare on the campaign trail this year that in addition to bringing all U.S. troops home from Iraq and beginning a troop drawdown in Afghanistan, he also has a target period for ending the U.S. combat role there.
It also serves to possibly bridge an apparent gap between France and the rest of the NATO partners of the U.S. on defining the end game in Afghanistan.
All NATO members in November 2010 endorsed a plan to keep forces in Afghanistan until the end of 2014. But France this week appeared to throw that plan into doubt when President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at his side and seemingly in agreement, that NATO end its mission in 2013 – one year earlier than planned.
Sarkozy also said, however, that France would provide support for the training of Afghan forces beyond 2013, so his approach might not be entirely different from the one Panetta outlined in which allied troops shed their combat role in the second half of 2013 but remain through 2014 to train, advise and assist.
Panetta said he hoped to hear more from the French delegation at the NATO talks Thursday and Friday.
Panetta called 2013 a critical year for the Afghanistan mission that has dragged on for more than a decade with little sign that the Taliban will be decisively defeated. He noted that NATO and the Afghan government intend to begin a final phase of handing off sections of the country to Afghan security control in mid-2013.
“Hopefully by the mid to latter part of 2013 we’ll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise and assist role,” he said. He added that this “doesn‘t mean we’re not going to be combat-ready,” but rather that the U.S. and other international forces will no longer be in “the formal combat role we’re in now.”
Panetta said the administration wants to make sure that the Afghan forces, after foreign troops depart, are “sufficient and sustainable,” but noted that will require continuing financial support not only from the United States but also from allies and many other countries.
“One of the things we’ll be discussing (in Brussels) is what the size of that (Afghan) force should be, but a lot of that will be dependent on the funds that are going to be put on the table in order to sustain that force,” he said. “That’s one of the things, frankly, I’m going to be pushing at this (meeting).”
Fox News provides a report:
A senior defense official traveling with Panetta said the U.S. believes Afghanistan will not need as big a force as is now being built. NATO has set a target of 352,000 Afghan soldiers and police. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon, said the U.S. thinks a smaller force would be adequate, but he would not be more specific
He likened this approach to the way Obama managed the final two years of U.S. military involvement in Iraq. Obama declared an end to the U.S. combat role there on Aug. 31, 2010 but kept tens of thousands of troops there through the end of last year to continue training and advising Iraqi security forces.
Panetta said no decisions have been made about how many U.S. troops would be required to remain there once the combat role has ended. He suggested, however, that large reductions, below the 68,000 troop level projected for this September, were unlikely in the months immediately after the shift. The U.S. now has about 91,000 troops there as part of the International Security Assistance Force. The fact that much military work will remain after 2013 “demands that we have a strong presence there,” he said.
Although Panetta made no mention of it, U.S. Marines in Afghanistan already are making that transition out of a combat role. They are operating in Helmand province in southwestern Afghanistan, where the Taliban have been greatly weakened, and are on track to reduce their numbers significantly this year. Panetta’s remarks indicated that this switch into a support role will be applied across Afghanistan, assuming no major setbacks against the Taliban and continued progress in training Afghan forces.
Many U.S. forces already are training and advising Afghan forces.
Marine Gen. John Allen, the overall commander of international forces in Afghanistan, has been talking publicly since last fall about converting the military role from combat to what he has called “security assistance.” But Panetta went further in identifying mid- to late-2013 as the target for completing this conversion countrywide.
Panetta was in Brussels to attend a NATO meeting at which this and other issues related to the war in Afghanistan are expected to top the agenda. The session is intended to help pave the way for key decisions to be announced at a summit meeting of NATO heads of government in Chicago in May.
In Washington, a senior European diplomat said Sarkozy’s initial comments caused confusion among other NATO allies. The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to relate internal discussions, said the French president was referring to the shift from combat operations to a training mission in 2013, although he acknowledged that Sarkozy appeared to be calling for all operations to end next year. The diplomat said NATO plans to leave the 2014 deadline in place.
On his second trip to Europe since becoming Pentagon chief last July 1, Panetta is gathering with his counterparts at a delicate time for NATO, not only because of the uncertainty surrounding the military mission in Afghanistan but also because of a growing gap in military power between the U.S. and nearly all other European members of the alliance.
That chasm is not expected to narrow even as the U.S. reduces its defense budget by nearly $490 billion over the coming decade and reduces the size of the Army and Marine Corps.
The U.S. remains the leader of a 28-nation NATO, but the Obama administration has made no secret of its intention to shift focus toward Asia and the Middle East. It announced last week that it will remove two Army brigades from Europe in the next two years, leaving one in Germany and one in Italy. The alliance also is quietly discussing the possible withdrawal of American nuclear weapons from Europe in coming years. The nuclear issue is on the agenda for the Brussels meeting.
Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, said last week that the two brigades being removed from Europe will be eliminated rather than reassigned to U.S. bases. Both are based in Germany – the 172nd Infantry Brigade, in Grafenwoehr, and the 170th Infantry Brigade, in Baumholder. Odierno said that in the long run this change will benefit both the United States and its European partners because U.S. Army combat and support units will periodically rotate in and out of Europe for training and joint exercises that are designed to meet the needs of the European forces.
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Comments (60)
Secret Squirrel
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 10:53amSave some brave soldiers lives.
Report Post »Leave today.
The Afghans don’t care, and they won’t care next year.
thegreatcarnac
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 10:51amThe Taliban is gearing up for 2014. They are gathering as much ordinance as they can through conduits running through Pakistan. They are consolidating treaties with some other tribes and they have people undercover running all over Kabul. They are negotiating behind the scenes with the obama administration who knows full well that after we leave the taliban will be in power in 6 weeks. Obama is throwing it away. This is the first of many things obama will throw away.
Report Post »soybomb315
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 11:09amSounds like taliban is already in control. However, taliban is not the reason we went into afganistan
Report Post »soybomb315
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 10:30amLet them come home and have some peace and quite before our government sends them to iran for another war
Report Post »libtardian-refugee
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 5:12pmDamn right, it’s time we force those stupid Iranians to establish a central bank
Report Post »lisa2994
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 10:30amThe strangest thing I saw last week and gave me chills was this.. First there was a military truck in front of me as I was driving into work. Then I saw a drone fly overhead above my car! It was pretty creepy to me!
Report Post »soybomb315
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 10:44amBased on your comments, I am curious to know your position about our troops staying in iraq and afganistan so long. It can be straing to see militaray presence in our country. Question: how do you think iraqis and afganis feel when our military is doing the same thing over there (including the drones)? And we have it good because that military truck was not watching you and their guns were not pointed in your direction. There are peaceful people in both countries who just want a chance to control their own future – this issue is so muddled
Report Post »lisa2994
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 10:26amAlso fits in well with Iran having a nuke within a year.. Hmmmm Isreal always remember most of us as americans are with you!
Report Post »SacKings2312
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 1:05pmyeah and most of OUR money is with them also! Let Israel and U.S. have nukes and no one else!!! Oh yeah, and screw AIPAC (unless they’re on our side)!
Report Post »G-WHIZ
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 10:09amJust like the last country WE “left” which is goeing back to sharia…WE will leave Afganistan so the Caliphate can creap in quickly and our muslim-in-chief will tell US nothing is wrong and everything is working out for “democracy”/sociallism/communism. Have-a-nice-day… :-]
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 7:57amSo we pull the troops, hire Blackwater and the State Department runs the war istead of the Defense Department. It’s all sleight of hand folks.
Report Post »bhohater
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 9:49amGetting the hell out of Iraq and Afghanistan is the only thing Obummer has done right, but he should have done it a lot sooner. What a total waste of American lives and resources, just like Vietnam.
Report Post »raderby
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 4:17amand…….. Leon is discussing with France? That great military power with its military prowess? Brilliant. Pull all the troops out, bring all of them home. Let France deal with it. Let S. Korea deal with the North. Let Germany decide how to protect themselves (God help us). Get out of Japan. Get out of everywhere, go ahead, I double dog dare you. And then what? Lock me up for opposing this garbage slick of an administration?
Report Post »Mil-Dot
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 6:47amPFFT, Panetta and the rest of them are a bunch of “Never-serves”. You know, the type of goon that always played with toy soldiers when he was a kid but was too much of a coward to sign up when he got older. So what they do now to feel brave is attach cameras to the helmets of our soldiers so they can watch commando raids in real time while sipping Coke and eating popcorn. All in the safety of their little secret bunkers. Why heck, they even let their secretaries watch so they can be commandos too.
Report Post »Stuck_in_CA
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 7:01amThen, what the heck is THIS all about???
Filmed by a stretch of track south of Santa Cruz California. heading southeast through Watsonville.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RzvOzqGlc_4#!
Uploader Comments (RU2BFREE67)
Report Post »The camouflage on those tanks is very telling. If they were going to Iraq, Afghanistan or some Middle Eastern country it would be desert oriented camouflage. Looks like they’re preparing for somewhere else. What’s that saying? A tank behind every every street corner of your block?
raderby
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 4:12amooooh, so darned convenient, just as Michelle is now used for higher likability ratings…… use anything, commander Zero, to get another 4 years. Prediction: Afghanistan is lost to mozzies within 2 years. Glazis like Soros will be joyous, as another waste and defeat for the USA occurs. Win the war, and step ONE is wipe the poppy fields. Really want hopd and change? Wipe and keep wiped the poppy fields. The 9000 lb. T-rex in the room has been the poppies of Afghanistan. Lots of other things could be grown in that lousy dirt over there…want to help poor people worldwide? Wipe the drug centers, one by one. Wake up world.
Report Post »ProudTeaPartyMember
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 2:48amMilitary forces out of Iraq, military forces out of Afghanistan, I can’t wait ’till we have military forces out of The White House…The Commander in Chief ….er ….I mean, the Scamander in Chief, Barack Hussein Oblamer.
Report Post »mr molotov cocktail
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 1:16amdid you know that american bases in europe since ww2 has allowed them to spend money from their defense on healthcare…
Report Post »americans dont get it military power is a strong nation with in is a strong nation with-out
if i was president i would demand that “joint power” over bases keep some troops
but let the europeans pay their own way
eifer
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 11:52pmIf a Democrat does something you agree with, you don’t have to find a reason to talk crap about it… He‘s pretty much just following Bush’s plans anyways.
Report Post »rabidsnoopy
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 11:38pmCall me a conspiracy theorist if you want, but the withdraw of American troops seems so well planned. It seems to me like a major step toward helping the development of a Caliphate to me. First remove the protective wall that will allow those who support Sharia law to gain popularity again. Then you also have troops available for two major operaions. We can “help” (like in libya) if the authorities resist Sharia law anywhere. Finally, troops will be available for Marshall Law when the economy collapses as we switch to socialism/communism or when the uprisings begin because “somehow” Obama wins another term.
Report Post »aro5o75
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 11:05pmAnother surrender for Butcrack
Report Post »sndrman
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 10:16pmafter bo leaves office and everything falls apart the (D)’s will go running to every camera and news outlet to blame (R)’s,and (R)’s will stay quiet, lose seats the agenda has been written…………this is such a shame
Report Post »Mateytwo Barreett
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 10:35pmI agree! Never understood the Vietnam philosphy. If you’re going half way arund the world to spend treasure and countless lives – is there an objective. Correction- achievable objective.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 10:59pmMATEY: Biggest problem is the change of administrations. Which is what al Q was counting on. ( Republicans fight/ Democrats don’t ) The al Q guys know that America has trouble with waging wars ( Vietnam) while they love to kill and die for allah…
Report Post »ares338
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 9:34pmThere’s always another war!
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 9:48pmFor once, I agree with Panetta, our troops do need to come home, but not for the reasons our treasonous leaders would talk about. The world is about to melt down, and I would like to see our troops home and resting, because soon, they won’t be fighting wars overseas, but repelling the enemy at the gates of our country, as well as having to deal with the ones already here, thanks to our non-existent border security.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 10:10pmTX: know what you mean. Reminds me of what happens when you do not discipline children immediately for misbehavior or when you let bullies think you are afraid of them. Neither are wise reactions to initial bad behavior. Emboldens ….
Report Post »PresidentDowngrade
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 10:15pmBari Shabazz Hussein Obama mmmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmmm. Get Allen West out of Washington and let Iran pull the trigger from a hundred miles out. The place is a rat infested sewer of Biblical proportions. Good Riddence. Cull the herd starting with the muslim rat at 1600 penn ave.
Report Post »Stoprunning
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 9:30pmAll of our wannabe imperialists sound angry!
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 11:07pmyup.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 9:23pmWay to go Obama. Poke the Bush Administration in the eye. Announce an exit date from Afghanistan . What a novel approach to military tactics : tell the enemy when you are leaving ! Oh, way to go . Make sure that all of the American lives in Afghanistan were wasted. Guess you showed Bush for starting that war. ( the Obama Administration is just what the al Qaeda guys were counting on: like Viet Nam, the AQ types counted on us ducking out ! Thanks, Democrats, for assuring that Muslim fanaticism will have more unsupervised room to operate, females in Afghanistan will be persecuted, Islamic fanaticism will grow, America is more at risk BUT you guys got to poke George Bush and the Republicans in the eye ! Feel good?? Bet you Democrats do. You are despicable examples of the anger and arrogance of the I Hate America Left. Hail, Karl Marx.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 9:58pmCool . Another reason NOT to vote for President Obama…
Report Post »tifosa
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 9:15pmCool. ANOTHER reason to vote for President Obama.
Report Post »peapaw
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 10:08pmNot idiot.
Report Post »Reaper
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 9:14pmHe’ll be leaving his position around the same time too
Report Post »GoodStuff
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 8:58pmThankfully we’ll have a new president.
Report Post »NoNannyState4me
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 11:29pmNot at this rate we won’t.
Report Post »TRILO
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 8:53pmWe should have been out of that ungrateful and corrupt country years ago.
Nothing like telling your enemy when you are leaving. Just in time for the Taliban leaders that this administration is planning on releasing to get back home and rejoin forces. While the administration plans on releasing them to Qatar I am certain they will be on the loose soon after arrival. I see an unexpected escape
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/01/31/administration_briefs_senate_leaders_on_taliban_transfer
Report Post »Laus Deo
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 8:40pmNothing like telling your opponent which round you’ll stop punching. Stupid, stupid basturds (intentional misspell).
Report Post »Mateytwo Barreett
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 10:39pmOpponent? . . . .I’m not sure who(m) is seen as the opponent anymore!
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 8:36pmWell that ain‘t gonna happen cause Oblamer will be out of office and it won’t be his call.
Report Post »IMPEACHBHO
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 8:34pmANYTHING for a VOTE. The only thing transparent about this administration is BHO.
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