Afghan mission needs thousands more US troops: Votel

WASHINGTON (Pajhwok): Making a case of increasing American footprint in Afghanistan, a top American General on Thursday told lawmakers that current presence of 8,400 US troops in this country is falling short of a few thousand personnel.

“Our sustained force presence, over 8,400 U.S. military personnel, will allow us to conduct counter-terrorism operations and meet our requirements for staffing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led Resolute Support (RS) Mission,” General Joseph Votel, Commander of US Central Command or CENTCOM told members of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.

“However, the RS Mission still has a shortfall of a few thousand personnel needed to conduct the complementary mission of training, advising, and assisting the ANDSF (Afghan National Defense Security Forces,” Votel said in his testimony before the top Congressional Committee.

Votel said while the Afghan Air Force (AAF) and Special Mission Wing (SMW) continue to build capability, significant capability gaps remain.  The current rotary wing fleet consisting primarily of the Russian-made Mi-17 is both undersized and proving to be more expensive and difficult to sustain than originally envisioned and is experiencing a higher than expected attrition rate, he noted.

On Afghan National Defense Forces, Votel rued that they face a number of significant challenges.  “Poor leadership and corruption are two key factors that need further improvement and President Ashraf Ghani has made addressing these issues a top priority for the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA),” he said. 

Votel said the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are beginning their third year with full responsibility for security with limited U.S. or coalition support.  They continue to take the fight to the Taliban and, despite some territorial losses, have retained control of major population areas and key lines of communication. 

While the Taliban made gains in 2016, namely in the north and south, in most cases, the ANDSF quickly responded to and reversed some of those gains over the past year. 

“While the balance of power favors the government, neither side is currently able to achieve its stated objectives.  Looking ahead, it is essential that we continue to assist the ANDSF in addressing their capability gaps, particularly in the areas of aviation, casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), personnel management and development, logistics, and sustainment,” Votel said.