[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 122 (Thursday, August 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S8985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AFGHAN NATIONAL SECURITY FORCES

  Mr. KAUFMAN. Mr. President, we have embarked on a new course in 
Afghanistan. The plan has 21,000 troops and trainers engaged primarily 
in clearing the Taliban in Kandahar and Helmand provinces. We know from 
counterinsurgency doctrine that we must now hold the areas that have 
been cleared.
  I speak today on the need for expanding the Afghan National Army and 
Police. They must do the holding of those areas taken by our forces so 
that we can build a capable, accountable, and effective Afghan 
Government. The August 20 elections will be a crucial milestone in 
Afghanistan's democratic development, and the international community 
stands with the Afghan people as they exercise their freedom to cast 
votes at more than 7,000 polling stations.
  Safeguarding the election is a test for the Afghan security forces, 
which are leading efforts to secure the polling stations per the plans 
of the Afghanistan Elections Commission. At the same time, the United 
States and other international partners will continue to support Afghan 
forces. We have increased troop levels this summer, in part, to help 
the Afghan National Army and Police prepare for the election.
  As we send an additional 21,000 troops and trainers and hundreds of 
civilians into Afghanistan, we must do everything in our power to 
protect these brave men and women in a hostile environment. We must be 
effective and efficient in clearing and holding against insurgents. And 
we must ensure we have the necessary civilian resources to build a 
secure and stable environment, in which Afghans can sustain rule of law 
and promote good governance.
  These goals are critical to our shared counterinsurgency mission. 
Success will not be easy or without a great cost or burden. It will 
continue to require patience, determination, and an enduring American 
commitment.
  As GEN Stanley McChrystal affirmed when he assumed command of 
American and International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, troops 
in Afghanistan, ``the Afghan people are at the center of our mission. 
In reality, they are the mission. We must protect them from violence, 
whatever its nature.'' The Afghan people are at the heart of our 
operations, and the first principle of protecting the population in 
counterinsurgency is building a strong indigenous security force that 
can assume control and take the lead.
  Our military, civilian, and political leadership agree that enhancing 
the capacity and capability of the Afghan National Army and Afghan 
National Police is key to an eventual U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. 
Before we move in this direction, however, we must consider what 
additional resources are required to help the ANA and ANP become self-
sufficient.
  Current estimates indicate the Afghan Army is one fourth of the size 
of the Iraqi Army, where the ongoing insurgency now pales in comparison 
to Taliban-led violence in Afghanistan. This is woefully inadequate if 
we hope to meet Afghanistan's short-term and long-term security 
requirements. The same can be said for the Afghan police, which 
provides the essential services of border security, law enforcement, 
coordinating counternarcotics, and serving as a paramilitary force.
  The Afghan National Army and Police must work in tandem on 
counterinsurgency--one cannot succeed without the other--with the army 
``clearing'' the land of insurgents, and the police ``holding'' to 
ensure stability. Progress in ``building'' economic development and 
governance cannot be sustained until the security forces succeed in 
their mission.
  Current plans to expand the Afghan National Army to 135,000 and the 
Afghan National Police to 80,000 by 2011 represent a positive step in 
the right direction but still fall short of the necessary requirements. 
These numbers are insufficient for the Afghans to independently 
maintain security and establish rule of law in the long-run, and 
therefore should be considered critical milestones, but not ceilings, 
for the training mission.
  According to the Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Manual drafted 
by General Petraeus in 2006, the requisite number of security forces 
should not be defined by the number of insurgents. Rather, the size of 
host nation security forces should be commensurate with the size of the 
population. This closely parallels the methodology used to calculate 
the adequate size for peacekeeping operations, which are determined by 
the number of inhabitants. Counterinsurgency doctrine, as delineated by 
General Petraeus, recommends a minimum target ratio of 20 
counterinsurgents for every 1,000 residents.
  According to this ratio, in order to secure Afghanistan--a country of 
more than 33 million--a minimum of 600,000 security forces are needed, 
which includes the army and police. Current targets for the ANA and ANP 
barely reach 40 percent of this minimum requirement. It is clear that 
these numbers should be increased, and this is why I support doubling 
the target number for the ANA from 135,000 to 250,000, and increasing 
the ANP from 80,000 to 150,000.
  As Secretary Gates has outlined, we must better prepare to fight the 
wars we are in, and recognize that that irregular warfare is not just a 
short-term challenge. Rather, it is a long-term reality that requires a 
realignment of both military strategy and spending. And as we continue 
to engage in counterinsurgency, we must recognize those elements of our 
strategy which are essential to our mission. Chief among them remains 
building the indigenous capacity of the host nation security forces.
  It is in this regard that I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting an increase in the size of the Afghan national security 
forces. While this may require additional trainers, troops, and 
resources in the short run, it is the only way to ensure the long-run 
stability of Afghanistan.

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