Today, two Congressional committees held hearings on Afghanistan, including President Obama’s plan to reduce the number of U.S. troops in that country starting later this summer.
The House Armed Services Committee called Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen to testify about the President’s plan. Mullen said he supports the withdrawal plan, but admitted it was “more aggressive and has more risk” than the plan he recommended.
In front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also commented on the troop drawdown, saying “we have broken the Taliban’s momentum.” She also defended the Obama administration's contact with the Taliban as “not a pleasant business…but necessary” to help stabilize Afghanistan as the U.S. begins to withdraw troops.
In the House hearing, Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) said he was “deeply concerned” about the White House plan for Afghanistan, and that the President needs to show that the decision was based on military needs and not political aims.
Members also questioned Admiral Mullen on the readiness of Afghan troops to take over internal security as U.S. forces leave. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) demanded to know exactly how many Afghan soldiers had been trained since the inception of the war, a question Admiral Mullen could not answer immediately.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) said that the U.S. had “met our major goals” for the country, and the “mission can transition” to one with a diplomatic and civilian focus. Secretary Clinton praised those civilian efforts, noting progress in the areas of education, health care, and the eradication of opium crops.
These hearings came the morning after President Obama addressed the nation about his plan to withdraw 10,000 Americans troops from Afghanistan beginning in July. The remaining 23,000 troops, sent as part of a "surge" to combat resurgent Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in 2010, will be withdrawn by the end of next year, with all American combatants replaced with Afghan troops by 2014.