[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 142 (Thursday, September 22, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1691-E1692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CORRESPONDENCE WITH DEFENSE SECRETARY PANETTA ON THE AFGHANISTAN/
                          PAKISTAN STUDY GROUP

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 22, 2011

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I submit my correspondence with the 
administration on my call for an Afghanistan/Pakistan Study Group. My 
letters to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta of July 19, 2011; August 1, 
2011; and August 8, 2011 follow:

                                     House of Representatives,

                                                    July 19, 2011.
     Hon. Leon Panetta,
     Secretary of Defense,
     The Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear Leon: I write today concerning the U.S. mission in 
     Afghanistan and Pakistan. My amendment, which gives the 
     Secretary of Defense the authority to establish an 
     Afghanistan/Pakistan (Af/Pak) Study Group, was included in 
     the House-passed FY 2012 Defense Appropriations bill. I 
     pressed for the amendment because I believe fresh eyes are 
     needed now to examine the situation on the ground and the 
     overall U.S. mission.
       I envision the Af/Pak Study Group being modeled after the 
     Iraq Study Group (ISG). Both you and your predecessor Bob 
     Gates served on the ISG and know better than most the 
     benefits it provided after three years of fighting in Iraq. 
     Now that the U.S. is in its 10th year in Afghanistan, I 
     believe a similar effort is necessary.
       Before he was appointed as ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan 
     Crocker supported creating an Af/Pak Study Group, along with 
     Ambassador Ronald Neumann and Jim Dobbins from the RAND 
     Corporation. American men and women are fighting and dying in 
     Afghanistan. If we are asking them to put their lives on the 
     line daily, I believe we have an obligation to provide an 
     independent evaluation of the U.S. mission. We owe our 
     military forces nothing less.
       I do not have the answers. But as you know, there is a 
     movement building in Congress in favor of pulling troops out 
     of Afghanistan. An amendment offered by Rep. Jim McGovern 
     earlier this year to the National Defense Authorization Act 
     to accelerate U.S. departure from Afghanistan was narrowly 
     defeated 204-215. If six members had changed their vote, the 
     amendment would have passed. I have talked to several members 
     who voted against the McGovern amendment who are seriously 
     concerned about the war in Afghanistan and could change their 
     vote if the situation on the ground does not improve rapidly.
       I also believe it is critical that Afghanistan be examined 
     in tandem with the facts on the ground in Pakistan. It is 
     clear that in order to be successful in Afghanistan, we must 
     have a clear understanding of how Pakistan is influencing 
     U.S. operations. Just look at the recent news from the 
     region. Hamid Karzai's half-brother was murdered and his 
     funeral bombed, Karai advisor Jan Mohammed Kahn was murdered, 
     and militants attacked and laid siege to the Intercontinental 
     Hotel in Kabul. The enclosed article printed recently in the 
     Washington Post states, ``. . . optimism and energy vanished 
     long ago, gradually replaced by cynicism and fear. The 
     trappings of democracy remained in place . . . but the 
     politics of ethnic dog fights, tribal feuds and personal 
     patronage continued to prevail.''
       The men and women serving in Afghanistan deserve to have 
     fresh eyes look at this region as soon as possible. With 
     House passage of the A/Pak amendment, I ask that you use your 
     authority as secretary and move quickly to create this study 
     group. I have discussed my amendment with John Hamre at the 
     Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and he 
     has offered to coordinate the group with professionals with a 
     wide range of expertise.
       I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to 
     discuss this important initiative and look forward to working 
     with you to ensure we are successful in Afghanistan and 
     Pakistan.
       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
                                               Member of Congress.
                                  ____
                                  


                                     House of Representatives,

                                                   August 2, 2011.
     Hon. Leon Panetta,
     Secretary of Defense,
     The Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear Leon: I want to follow up on my previous letter 
     regarding Afghanistan policy and bring to your attention a 
     book I am reading, The Wars in Afghanistan, discussed in the 
     enclosed Washington Post book review. Its author, Ambassador 
     Peter Tomsen, is a veteran of the Foreign Service and has an 
     impressive background in the South Asia region. If you have 
     not read his book, I highly recommend it to you. The Post 
     review concludes: ``This long overdue work. . .is the most 
     authoritative account yet of Afghanistan's wars over the last 
     30 years and should be essential reading for those wishing to 
     forge a way forward without repeating the mistakes of the 
     past.''
       After three years of the Iraq war, the formation of the 
     Iraq Study Group garnered the support of Secretary Rumsfeld, 
     Secretary Rice, and Joint Chiefs General Pace. Our military 
     men land women have been putting their lives on the line in 
     Afghanistan every day for 10 years, seven years longer than 
     when the decision was made to create the ISG to provide the 
     independent assessment needed for U.S. policy in Iraq. I 
     believe we owe it to our brave soldiers to focus now with 
     fresh eyes on the target in Afghanistan.
       I have spoken with Ambassador Tomsen about a framework for 
     moving forward in Afghanistan, and he would be happy to meet 
     with you and your team to discuss his breadth of experience 
     there. I urge you to take him up on his offer.
       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
     Member of Congress.
                                  ____



                                     House of Representatives,

                                                   August 8, 2011.
     Hon. Leon Panetta,
     Secretary of Defense,
     The Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear Leon: I want to draw your attention to the enclosed 
     letter I received from retired Marine Corps General Charles 
     Krulak regarding an Afghanistan/Pakistan (Af/Pak) Study 
     Group.
       General Krulak makes an important point that we cannot be 
     successful in Afghanistan if we do not address the ongoing 
     tensions and frequent hostilities between Pakistan and India. 
     I again ask you to take the language in the FY 2012 Defense 
     Appropriations bill and use your authority to create the Af/
     Pak Study Group. Every day we delay is another missed 
     opportunity to successfully address U.S. policy in South 
     Asia.
       Thank you for your time and I look forward to meeting with 
     you in the near future to discuss this important issue.
       Best wishes,
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
     Member of Congress.
                                  ____



                                  Birmingham-Southern College,

                                    Birmingham, AL, July 25, 2011.
     Hon. Frank R. Wolf,
     Cannon House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Wolf: Thank you so much for your letter of 
     July, 20, 2011 forwarding me your letter to Secretary 
     Panetta. You asked for my thoughts on the proposed Af/Pak 
     Study Group and here they are:
       I think you are spot on! It should be obvious to everyone 
     concerned that the time has come to do a professional 
     evaluation of the current policy in the region. When I 
     mention ``region'', I believe it is important to include 
     India. At the end of the day, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India 
     are inextricably linked . . . you cannot establish policies 
     in a stove pipe manner. The Study Group will immediately 
     recognize that fact and accommodate it.
       It is important to understand that conflict occurs at three 
     levels . . . Strategic, Operational, and Tactical. Too often 
     we look at the tactical level . . . see the heroism and 
     accomplishments of our servicemen and women . . . and make 
     conclusions re. the conduct of the war. Unfortunately, that 
     is

[[Page E1692]]

     NOT the way to look at this current conflict. Like Vietnam, 
     we can do a solid job at the Tactical Level and lose the war 
     at the Operational and Strategic Levels. This is where we 
     find ourselves today in Afghanistan . . . and the path to any 
     kind of victory is closely linked to success in Pakistan and 
     India. The possibility of achieving such success across all 
     three countries is small . . . certainly following the 
     policies in place today (and yesterday.)
       Again, I applaud your work and on behalf of those young men 
     and women who are sacrificing so far from home, I thank you.
       Semper Fidelis.
                                                Charles C. Krulak,
     General, USMC (Ret.).

                          ____________________