Wednesday, September 16, 2009

More Mullen on the Levin Plan   [Rich Lowry]

From yesterday’s SASC hearing:

GRAHAM:

OK. Now, as to civilians, I just got back from a visit — and I appreciate all of our civilians who are over there from different agencies. They're very brave. But quite honestly, they can't go anywhere.

 

MULLEN:

Right.

 

GRAHAM:

You could send 10,000 lawyers from the State Department to deal with the rural law programs, but they're sitting on the base because if they leave the base, they're going to get shot.

 

MULLEN:

Right.

 

GRAHAM:

Do you agree with that?

 

MULLEN:

Yes, sir.

 

GRAHAM:

And the only way they get off the base is they do — they have a military convoy. Is that right?

 

MULLEN:

Right.

 

GRAHAM:

And the same people that are driving them down to meet the tribal leaders are also basically the same people training the Afghan Army and police forces. Is that right?

 

MULLEN:

Right.

 

GRAHAM:

And they're the same people fighting at night when they get attacked. So I just want our colleagues to know that the security environment in Afghanistan, from my point of view, will prevent any civilian success until we change the security environment. How long would it take to train enough Afghan troops to change the momentum, in your view, if you just did it with Afghan forces?

 

MULLEN:

I think it'll — I think it'll take two to three years.

 

GRAHAM:

What will happen in that two or three-year period, do you think, in terms of the security environment while we're training?

 

MULLEN:

If it's — if we're just training?

 

GRAHAM:

Yes.

 

MULLEN:

I think the security environment will continue to deteriorate.

09/16 01:10 PMShare