WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Kit Bond, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, returned this week from a week long trip to South Asia .  During a roundtable on his trip and the importance of the region to our national security, Bond emphasized the importance of adopting a real strategy for stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan .

 

 

 

            “Let me be blunt – the United States is not currently implementing a winning strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan .  We have many people on the ground doing good things on their own, but there is no comprehensive strategy weaving their efforts together into a successful mission and ensuring that they operate with economies of force,” said Bond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Last week, Bond and in-coming Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Kerry, met with key foreign, intelligence, and military officials and U.S. Embassy personnel about the situation on the ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan .  The most striking assessment from his trip, said Bond, was seeing first-hand the failure of a winning strategy in the region.  Since 2002 in Afghanistan , NATO has failed in its responsibility to provide security which threatens the region’s stability and could allow a terrorist safehaven to flourish in the region. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Bond emphasized that his talks over the last week with key officials in the region reinforce the recommendations made in his Roadmap to Success in S. Asia report.  First, the United States is not implementing a comprehensive strategy designed to meet a set of clearly defined goals for the Afghanistan-Pakistan region – we need to clearly define our strategic goals and devise a coordinated strategy to meet them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Next, Bond recommended that the new President must appoint and support a Washington-based Special Coordinator for all U.S. Government efforts in the region.  Uprooting terrorists from Pakistan’s tribal areas while working to stabilize Afghanistan requires a Special Coordinator with the clout and authority backed by the President. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            The United States Government must also dramatically increase our engagement with Pakistan with an eye toward meeting U.S. and Pakistani goals for the region.  While in Pakistan , Bond and Kerry met with General Kayani and Lieutenant General Pasha – the new head of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency.  Bond stressed that both of these men are strong leaders who understand the difficulties Pakistan is facing, the importance of fighting the militants, and the need for increased U.S. and international cooperation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            The United States has focused on winning the war against radical terrorists through military might, but must also try to influence the hearts and minds of the people.  To accomplish this goal, the United States must reduce civilian casualties and gain the support of local leaders.  It is critical to develop a coordinated effort between the United States Government and these local leaders to provide their people what they believe they need, not what we think they need.  This includes creating opportunities and alternatives to extremism – like through teaching Afghan farmers how to grow a sustainable crop, like wheat, instead of poppies that only enrich the drug lords. 

 

 

 

            Bond saw first-hand the success that can grow out of cooperation with local leaders when he visited the Missouri National Guard Agriculture Development Team (ADT) in Nangarhar Province .  This team, made up of personnel with a wide range of civilian and agricultural backgrounds, is teaching Afghans the skills they need grow and harvest alternative.  Not only are Afghan farmers improving their own lives and their land through sustainable agriculture the narcotics trade is also being supplanted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Bond also stressed the importance of developing a strategic communications plan.  For too long America has been losing overwhelmingly the public information battle.  Bond pointed to a story from his recent trip – while in Pakistan the Senator heard from Pakistani reporters convinced that a U.S. drone had executed an attack that day in Pakistan and they assumed that there must have been collateral damage.  While no such American attack had occurred, the Taliban successfully fed this story to the Pakistani press and they swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.  Unfortunately, this propaganda war is being won by extremists in both Pakistan and Afghanistan .   

The full recommendations in Bond’s Executive Summary are attached.