Afghanistan in 2012
The New Year is unfolding, and I'm thinking about Afghanistan. The good news is that we are making significant progress, especially in the security sector. The numbers of men and women killed in action among the coalition forces, an important metric, are down 20% from last year. But there are many challenges ahead.
I think there are three keys to our success in the security sector, where NATO and the International Coalition have the largest share of the work to do.
Gen. John R. Allen, commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)/U.S. Forces- Afghanistan (USFOR-A) shakes hands with Maj. Gen. John Toolan, commander of ISAF's Regional Command - Southwest, July 12 in Helmand. Allen flew to RC-SW with the commander of ISAF Joint Command, Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, to get an assessment on recent efforts in the area.
The first is something we all talk about in a military context: unity of effort. Working closely with my good friend and Naval Academy classmate, General John Allen, we have agreed to put plenty of focus on that this year. From a NATO and International perspective, our goal is to achieve a true sense of "in together, out together" among the 50 troop-contributing nations.
When I attended the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan in December, with 100 nations and international organizations represented, the theme of long-term commitment was evident. In the military sphere, that means we have to pull together smoothly on the oars as we all downsize the number of coalition troops over this coming year. For example, the US will withdraw another 23,000 in 2012 and this is on top of the 10,000 who redeployed in 2011.
Which brings us to the second key: transition to Afghan Security lead. The Afghan security forces have assumed the lead responsibility for security in districts and
Afghan Air Force pilot candidates stand at attention during an official ceremony recognizing their efforts in the Afghan Air Force Conference Center, Kabul, Afghanistan, November 17, 2011. The seven students will leave for Shindand Air Base in western Afghanistan in December where they will begin the first undergraduate pilot training program to be held inside Afghan borders in more than 30 years.
provinces holding nearly 50% of the population of Afghanistan. This is possible due to the capability and professional
development of more than 310,000 Afghan soldiers, airmen, and policemen and women. Today, the Afghan security forces are taking the vast majority of casualties in the fight, as well as training over 70% of the new recruits.
I'm confident we'll continue to support our Afghan brothers and sisters in uniform as they move forward with taking responsibility for their own security, with a plan to conclude the transition by 2014. At the Chicago NATO / ISAF summit, I have confidence the international community will commit to continuing its support to the Afghan security forces, giving lie to the Taliban's oft-repeated, but unfulfilled promise that we are soon "leaving forever."
The third key is simple: pressuring the insurgents. We've made a lot of progress, and it is reflected in the attitudes of the Afghan people. For example, the recent Asia Society annual poll of the people of Afghanistan concluded that over 85% of Afghans approve of their Army and over 75% of their Police forces -- strong improvements over the past five years. Likewise, nearly 3,000 insurgents have recently renounced violence and reintegrated back into Afghan society under the auspices of the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program.
We are seeing great strides on the battlefield. Those who continue to fight against the Afghan Government and people have a
Afghan National Army 209th Corps artillery soldiers set up the sighting mechanism and targeting rings on a D30 artillery gun before a validation test and fire demonstration Oct. 5 at the Camp Shaheen weapons range near Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.
choice: end your violent, extremist ways and work alongside all Afghans for a peaceful and more prosperous 2012, or chose to fight and face unrelenting pressure. We are continually capturing or killing many of their battlefield leaders, and it is my belief that their morale is decreasing and their tactics failing.
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