[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15786-15787]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




INCREASING THE LEVEL OF EXPERTISE AND CULTURAL AWARENESS IN AFGHANISTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 19, 2009

  Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, today I introduced legislation along with my 
colleague from Washington, Mr. Larsen, to enhance the ability of 
General McChrystal to bring our mission in Afghanistan to a successful 
completion.
  One of the key problems facing our mission in Afghanistan is the 
limitation on service for nearly all military and most civilians 
deployed there. Nearly all Americans serve no longer than 12 months, 
costing the overall U.S. effort critical military, language and 
personal relationship experience needed to sustain momentum in the war 
effort.
  General McChrystal intends to implement a ``classic counterinsurgency 
campaign'' designed to win the support of the Afghan people and drive a 
wedge between them and the Taliban. In a tribal culture like 
Afghanistan, it will be essential for General McChrystal to have people 
with established, personal relationships with local leaders in order 
for his strategy to succeed.
  Our legislation authorizes a $250,000 incentive bonus for 
servicemembers to agree to serve in Afghanistan for the duration of the 
mission, up to six years. This bonus would be paid at the end of their 
service in Afghanistan. The bill authorizes an additional $250,000 
incentive bonus for a servicemember who volunteers for the duration who 
scores a 4.0 on the Foreign Service Institute test for the dominant 
languages of Pashto and Dari. These soldiers would receive a payment of 
$500,000 at the completion of their service in Afghanistan.
  These ``for the duration'' volunteers would quickly become the elite 
of our effort, bringing the most skills to bear for senior commanders 
and troops in contact with the enemy. The knowledge they would bring 
cannot be taught in the U.S., it can only be gained through experience 
in the field. Just a handful of these soldiers in each Afghan province 
will make a world of difference.

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