[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 9, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6347-S6348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          NOMINATION OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL STANLEY McCHRYSTAL

  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, today in the Appropriations Defense 
Subcommittee we heard about some good things going on in South Asia and 
the new strategy for both Afghanistan and Pakistan to bring military 
and civilian efforts into that region.
  I understand the Armed Services Committee has just approved the 
nomination of LTG Stanley McChrystal, an ex-commander of the 
international security forces, the final senior-level military position 
in the theater.
  The dedicated members of the American military, our intelligence 
professionals and State Department officials continue to serve our 
country well, but it is essential that the efforts of each be woven 
together to form a comprehensive strategy that will not only win the 
battle but win the war. This will take senior leaders of great vision 
in all areas of our government.

[[Page S6348]]

  Last November I reached out to many of these leaders when I sent then 
President-elect Obama and his national security team my report on the 
way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan. President Obama has taken many 
of the steps I outlined, steps that are critical to our long-term 
success in the region.
  Earlier this year the President appointed a special envoy for the 
region who will oversee the implementation of the new strategy and he 
appointed a new ambassador to Afghanistan, who will focus the efforts 
of U.S. Government agencies in country. With General Petraeus firmly in 
place as the CENTCOM commander and the recent nomination of LTG Stanley 
McChrystal as the next commander of International Security Forces, 
Afghanistan--COMISAF--the President will have filled the senior-most 
military and civilian positions in-theater.
  I recently met personally with General McChrystal to talk about our 
way forward in the region and to listen to his ideas on Afghanistan and 
Pakistan. I must say I was impressed. He is not only a dedicated and 
accomplished soldier who has years of combat and counterterrorism 
experience, he is also an effective leader who understands the critical 
challenges we face in the region. More importantly, he understands that 
the war will not be won with military might alone--that to win this war 
we must combine the outstanding work of our military with effective 
diplomatic and economic efforts.
  A true counterinsurgency--or COIN--strategy, one that wins the hearts 
and minds of the local population and gains grassroots support for 
development and governance efforts, includes an effective public 
diplomacy campaign. General McChrystal not only understands the 
importance of good public diplomacy, he is dedicated to ensuring that 
our actions on the ground speak as loudly for our intentions as do our 
information efforts. That is part of what I call ``smart power''--
combining diplomatic, economic, informational and military efforts.
  I have seen first-hand the success of these smart power efforts. In 
Nangarhar Province, the Missouri National Guard Agriculture Development 
team gained the trust and cooperation of the local leaders. These 
Missourians have given Afghans in Nangarhar the skills they need to 
grow and harvest legitimate and sustainable crops. As a result, Afghan 
farmers are not only improving their own lives and land, but poppy 
production in the region has virtually been eliminated. I am confident 
that General McChrystal will support increased focus and investment in 
smart power efforts such as these.
  General McChrystal understands how critical putting an ``Afghan 
face'' on our combat operations is to our ultimate success. I was 
pleased that when we talked about accomplishing this goal by improving 
our efforts to train the Afghan National Army and Police, General 
McChrystal acknowledged the Afghan component is essential to any 
successful COIN strategy. Years of special operations experience has 
led him to know inherently how important it is to have the populace 
gain confidence in its own government institutions. Having met with the 
general in Iraq and seen the good work he did there, having watched his 
work on the Joint Staff, and having spoken with him at length over the 
past several weeks, I can unequivocally state that he is the kind of 
officer who intends to do just this--build public trust in Afghanistan.
  Just look at his testimony. According to the general, more 
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) is good not only 
because it gives you a better understanding of the battle space, but 
also because it increases precision which ultimately reduces civilian 
casualties. Reducing civilian casualties is a must and will gain trust 
in Afghanistan.
  General McChrystal also believes that corruption is ``one of the 
things that must be reduced for the government to be legitimate, and 
therefore for the people to trust it.'' The general intends for us to 
partner with Afghans at every level to help them rid or reduce the 
widespread corruption because it has a corrosive effect on the 
legitimacy of the government and is perceived by the Afghan people to 
be a real problem. This will also gain trust in Afghanistan.
  Finally, he believes it is important that we succeed in Afghanistan 
not only because it removes access to safe havens for al-Qaida and 
associated groups, but because it is the right thing to do. According 
to the general's testimony, ``we have the ability to--to support the 
people of Afghanistan and to move and to shape a better future that 
they want. And I think that that will make a difference in how we are 
viewed worldwide.'' This gains trust in general.
  Everything I have seen or heard about Lieutenant General McChrystal, 
from my conversations with him and from his testimony before the Senate 
Armed Services Committee, his impeccable record of military command and 
operations, to the comments of his fellow officers, tells me that Stan 
McChrystal will be a wise, measured, and excellent commander of our 
operations in Afghanistan. I strongly urge my colleagues to support 
this nomination without delay so General McChrystal can get on the 
ground.
  I thank the Chair, and I particularly thank my distinguished 
colleague from Utah.

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