U.S. Lacks Enough Troops To Support 'Low-Risk' Afghan Option

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kevin Jewell, right, talks to his sergeants to determine the best route during a patrol near Combat Outpost Herrera, Paktiya province, Afghanistan, Oct. 13, 2009. Jewell is assigned to Apache Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith

From McClatchy News:

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military can send only about 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan in the next three months without putting excessive strains on the Army and Marine Corps, but the top Afghanistan commander has said he needs more than twice that number to have the best chance of success, military and administration officials told McClatchy.

Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal has said that even if it sent 30,000 additional troops, the U.S. would risk failure in Afghanistan under the current strategy. His resourcing plan offers President Barack Obama three options based on the estimated risk, said two U.S. military officials, who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly and because the proposal remains classified.

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My Comment: This analysis puts a cold shower on what is possible in Afghanistan. In short .... General McChrystal cannot get his 80,000 extra troops even if President Obama wanted to send them.

The Great U.S. Airlift Over Afghanistan

Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters fly over a C-130 Hercules at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, as it prepares for a mission Sept. 24. (U.S. Air Force photo / Staff Sgt. Joshua T. Jasper)

From Politics Daily:

OVER FARAH PROVINCE, Western Afghanistan -- At an unseen point in the dark, Lt. Col. Wil Baulkmon slams down the flaps and pitches up the nose of his lumbering C-130 airlift plane. On the sharply canted cargo bay floor behind him, six tons of cargo strains against its web straps toward the open ramp and the roaring emptiness outside. "Come a little to the right ... a bit more," the navigator says crisply on the intercom. "OK, on course and looking good.''

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My Comment: A detailed story on U.S. air resupply in Afghanistan. Put it this way .... if it was not for these guys (and gals), the war in Afghanistan will be far more difficult and definitely more bloodier.

Interesting Afghan Statistics

From Michael Yon:

One must always be careful with statistics, and especially so when dealing with insurgencies. The numbers tend to lag behind the true current situation. For instance, in July of 2007, when John Burns and I both were telling millions of Americans that "the Surge" was working, our casualties actually were at nearly the highest during the entire war. And so, using statistics, someone could have ripped us apart or accused us of carrying the water for the President. But in fact, though attacks were very high, it was obvious that we were turning the tables in Iraq and the situation was dramatically improving. Likewise, when I reported from Afghanistan during 2006, saying explicitly, in plain language, that we were losing, some people used statistics to discredit those reports. In this type of warfare, the statistics can be extremely misleading. Yet I do pay attention to the statistics. The difficulty comes in applying proper context.

Please see this interesting report.

Afghanistan War News Updates -- January 11, 2009

In this handout photo provided by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Vice President-elect Joe Biden, right, meets with U.S. Gen. David McKiernan, head of the NATO-led ISAF in Afghanistan, after arriving at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009. Biden arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday for talks with the country's leaders, as surging Taliban violence claimed the lives of more American troops. (AP Photo/ISAF, HO)

US VP-Elect Biden Promises Help In Afghan Visit -- Yahoo News/AP

KABUL, Afghanistan – Vice President-elect Joe Biden pledged long-term American support for Afghanistan during a visit Saturday, and the commander of NATO-led forces told him that thousands of new American troops expected this year will need more support against surging Taliban violence.

President-elect Barack Obama has promised to end the war in Iraq and refocus American military efforts on Afghanistan. Biden's visit is a sign that Obama plans to make the region an immediate priority.

In a meeting with President Hamid Karzai, Biden "talked about ... the fight against terrorism, American troop increases as well as equipping and supplying of the Afghan forces," a statement from Karzai's office said, without providing any details.

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More News On Afghanistan

Biden, Afghan president discuss "war on terror" -- Yahoo News/AFP
Biden Visits Afghanistan, Meets Karzai, US Officials -- Washington Post
Biden in Afghanistan for Talks -- Associated Press
Biden in Afghanistan Ahead of US Troop Surge -- Voice Of America
Biden Arrives in Afghanistan to Discuss the War -- New York Times
Biden and Karzai in Kabul meeting -- BBC
US will Grab Power from British in Afghanistan -- The Times
Behind the lines with the Taliban -- L.A. Times
Diggers kill Taliban leader -- The Australian
Australian military denies timetable set for Afghan withdrawal -- AFP
Suicide bomber targets police official in southern Afghan produce shop, kills six -- Taipei Times
Bomb Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Decatur soldier dies in attack in Afghanistan -- MSNBC
Ottawa soldier killed in Afghanistan brought home -- Ottawa Citizen
Report: Dutch may stay in Afghanistan past 2010 -- International Herald Tribune
Coalition Targets Bomb Networks in Afghanistan -- AFPS
Predator Attack Kills al-Qaeda Leaders -- The Times
Afghan Media Gain Insight Into Air Force Mission -- AFPS
Millions face starvation in Afghanistan -- Indymedia
Increasing militancy in Pak a cause of worry: US Intelligence chief -- Online International News
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 561 -- Yahoo News/AP