[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18171-18174]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  EXCHANGE OF LETTERS BETWEEN CONGRESSMAN WOLF AND THE ADMINISTRATION 
         REGARDING THE AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN STUDY GROUP (APSG)

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 20, 2012

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, news reports from Afghanistan continue to show 
that U.S. policy is not working. For fiscal year 2012, the House 
provided the secretary of defense $1 million to establish the 
Afghanistan/Pakistan Study Group (APSG). Modeled after the successful 
Iraq Study Group (ISG), the APSG would be a bipartisan panel bringing 
together the best and brightest minds to provide solutions on how to 
assure a successful outcome in this troubled region. I have written 
President Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta over a dozen 
times asking that the APSG be established, so the American people will 
know that every effort is being made to address a faltering U.S. policy 
at a critical juncture. I submit for the Record the first part of a 
series of letters from August 4, 2010 through September 15, 2011 on 
this important topic. How can President Obama and Secretary Panetta, 
who served on the ISG, continue to claim that putting ``fresh eyes'' on 
U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan is a bad idea? Additional 
correspondence with the administration between October 3, 2011 and 
December 13, 2012 will follow tomorrow.

     Hon. Barack H. Obama,
     The President, The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: On September 14, 2001, following the 
     catastrophic and deliberate terrorist attack on our country, 
     I voted to go to war in Afghanistan. I stand by that decision 
     and have the utmost confidence in General Petraeus's proven 
     leadership. I also remain unequivocally committed to the 
     success of our mission there and to the more than 100,000 
     American troops sacrificing toward that end. In fact, it is 
     this commitment which has led me to write to you. While I 
     have been a consistent supporter of the war effort in both 
     Afghanistan and Iraq, I believe that with this support comes 
     a responsibility. This was true during a Republican 
     administration in the midst of the wars, and it remains true 
     today.
       In 2005, I returned from my third trip to Iraq where I saw 
     firsthand the deteriorating security situation. I was deeply 
     concerned that Congress was failing to exercise the necessary 
     oversight of the war effort. Against this backdrop I authored 
     the legislation that created the Iraq Study Group (ISG). The 
     ISG was a 10-member bipartisan group of well-respected, 
     nationally known figures who were brought together with the 
     help of four reputable organizations--the U.S. Institute for 
     Peace, the Center for the Study of the Presidency, the Center 
     for Strategic and International Studies, and the Baker 
     Institute for Public Policy at Rice University--and charged 
     with undertaking a comprehensive review of U.S. efforts 
     there. This panel was intended to serve as ``fresh eyes on 
     the target''--the target being success in Iraq.
       While reticent at first to their credit President Bush, 
     State Secretary Rice and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld came to 
     support the ISG, ably led by bipartisan co-chairs, former 
     Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee 
     Hamilton. Two members of your national security team, 
     Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and CIA Director Leon 
     Panetta, saw the merit of the ISG and, in fact, served on the 
     panel. Vice President Biden, too, then serving in the Senate, 
     was supportive and saw it as a means to unite the Congress at 
     a critical time. A number of the ISG's recommendations and 
     ideas were adopted. Retired General Jack Keane, senior 
     military adviser to the ISG, was a lead proponent of ``the 
     surge,'' and the ISG referenced the possibility on page 73. 
     Aside from the specific policy recommendations of the panel, 
     the ISG helped force a moment of

[[Page 18172]]

     truth in our national conversation about the war effort.
       I believe our nation is again facing such a moment in the 
     Afghanistan war effort, and that a similar model is needed. 
     In recent days I have spoken with a number of knowledgeable 
     individuals including former senior diplomats, public policy 
     experts and retired and active military. Many believe our 
     Afghanistan policy is adrift, and all agreed that there is an 
     urgent need for what I call an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study 
     Group (APSG). We must examine our efforts in the region 
     holistically, given Pakistan's strategic significance to our 
     efforts in Afghanistan and the Taliban's presence in that 
     country as well, especially in the border areas.
       This likely will not come as a surprise to you as commander 
     in chief. You are well acquainted with the sobering 
     statistics of the past several weeks--notably that July 
     surpassed June as the deadliest month for U.S. troops. There 
     is a palpable shift in the nation's mood and in the halls of 
     Congress. A July 2010 CBS news poll found that 62 percent of 
     Americans say the war is going badly in Afghanistan, up from 
     49 percent in May. Further, last week, 102 Democrats voted 
     against the war spending bill, which is 70 more than last 
     year, and they were joined by 12 Members of my own party. 
     Senator Lindsay Graham, speaking last Sunday on CNN's ``State 
     of the Union,'' candidly expressed concern about an ``unholy 
     alliance'' emerging of anti-war Democrats and Republicans.
       I have heard it said that Vietnam was not lost in Saigon; 
     rather, it was lost in Washington. While the Vietnam and 
     Afghanistan parallels are imperfect at best, the shadow of 
     history looms large. Eroding political will has 
     consequences--and in the case of Afghanistan, the stakes 
     could not be higher. A year ago, speaking before the Veterans 
     of Foreign War National Convention, you rightly said, ``Those 
     who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If 
     left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even 
     larger safe haven from which al Qaeda would plot to kill more 
     Americans. So this is not only a war worth fighting . . . 
     this is fundamental to the defense of our people.'' Indeed it 
     is fundamental. We must soberly consider the implications of 
     failure in Afghanistan. Those that we know for certain are 
     chilling--namely an emboldened al-Qaeda, a reconstituted 
     Taliban with an open staging ground for future worldwide 
     attacks, and a destabilized, nuclear-armed Pakistan.
       Given these realities and wavering public and political 
     support, I urge you to act immediately, through executive 
     order, to convene an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group modeled 
     after the Iraq Study Group. The participation of nationally 
     known and respected individuals is of paramount importance. 
     Among the names that surfaced in my discussions with others, 
     all of whom more than meet the criteria described above, are 
     ISG co-chairs Baker and Hamilton; former Senators Chuck Robb, 
     Bob Kerrey and Sam Nunn; former Congressman Duncan Hunter, 
     former U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker; former Secretary of 
     Defense James Schlesinger, and General Keane. These harms are 
     simply suggestions among a cadre of capable men and women, as 
     evidenced by the make-up of the ISG, who would be more than 
     up to the task.
       I firmly believe that an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group 
     could reinvigorate national confidence in how America can be 
     successful and move toward a shared mission in Afghanistan. 
     This is a crucial task. On the Sunday morning news shows this 
     past weekend, it was unsettling to hear conflicting 
     statements from within the leadership of the administration 
     that revealed a lack of clarity about the end game in 
     Afghanistan. How much more so is this true for the rest of 
     the country? An APSG is necessary for precisely that reason. 
     We are nine years into our nation's longest running war and 
     the American people and their elected representatives do not 
     have a clear sense of what we are aiming to achieve, why it 
     is necessary and how far we are from attaining that goal. 
     Further, an APSG could strengthen many of our NATO allies in 
     Afghanistan who are also facing dwindling public support, as 
     evidenced by the recent Dutch troop withdrawal, and would 
     give them a tangible vision to which to commit.
       Just as was true at the time of the Iraq Study Group, I 
     believe that Americans of all political viewpoints, liberals 
     and conservatives alike, and varied opinions on the war will 
     embrace this ``fresh eyes'' approach. Like the previous 
     administration's support of the Iraq Study Group, which 
     involved taking the group's members to Iraq and providing 
     high-level access to policy and decision makers, I urge you 
     to embrace an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group. It is always 
     in our national interest to openly assess the challenges 
     before us and to chart a clear course to success.
       As you know, the full Congress comes back in session in 
     mid-September--days after Americans around the country will 
     once again pause and remember that horrific morning nine 
     years ago when passenger airlines became weapons, when the 
     skyline of one of America's greatest cities was forever 
     changed, when a symbol of America's military might was left 
     with a gaping hole. The experts with whom I have spoken in 
     recent days believe that time is of the essence In moving 
     forward with a study panel, and waiting for Congress to 
     reconvene is too long to wait. As such, I am hopeful you will 
     use an executive order and the power of the bully pulpit to 
     convene this group in short order, and explain to the 
     American people why it is both necessary and timely. Should 
     you choose not to take this path, respectfully, I intend to 
     offer an amendment by whatever vehicle necessary to mandate 
     the group's creation at the earliest possible opportunity.
       The ISG's report opened with a letter from the co-chairs 
     that read, ``There is no magic formula to solve the problems 
     of Iraq. However, there are actions that can be taken to 
     improve the situation and protect American interests.'' The 
     same can be said of Afghanistan.
       I understand that you are a great admirer of Abraham 
     Lincoln. He, too, governed during a time of war, albeit a war 
     that pitted brother against brother, and father against son. 
     In the midst of that epic struggle, he relied on a cabinet 
     with strong, often times opposing viewpoints. Historians 
     assert this served to develop his thinking on complex 
     matters. Similarly, while total agreement may not emerge from 
     a study group for Afghanistan and Pakistan, I believe that 
     vigorous, thoughtful and principled debate and discussion 
     among some of our nation's greatest minds on these matters 
     will only serve the national interest. The biblical 
     admonition that iron sharpens iron rings true.
       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
                                               Member of Congress.
       P.S. We as a nation must be successful in Afghanistan. We 
     owe this to our men and women in the military serving in 
     harm's way and to the American people.
                                  ____

     Hon. Leon Panetta,
     Secretary of Defense, The Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Panetta: 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, Karzai 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 Af/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.

[[Page 18173]]

       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
     Member of Congress.
                                  ____

     Hon. Leon Panetta,
     Secretary of Defense,
     The Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Panetta: 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 and 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.
                                  ____

     Hon. Leon Panetta,
     Secretary of Defense,
     The Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Panetta: 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.
                                  ____

     Hon. Leon Panetta,
     Secretary of Defense, The Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Leon Panetta: I know you care deeply about 
     the men and women in uniform fighting in Afghanistan. That's 
     why I am disappointed that no one from your staff has 
     contacted former Ambassador Peter Tomsen, an expert on 
     Afghanistan, to meet with him, as I requested in my letter to 
     you of August 1 (enclosed).
       Ambassador Tomsen's new book, The Wars of Afghanistan, is 
     receiving positive reviews, including the enclosed review in 
     the recent edition of Foreign Affairs. The review praises the 
     book as providing an in depth description of the social 
     structure of Afghanistan and the mistakes repeated by 
     numerous foreign countries that have tried to help establish 
     military and political cohesion in the country. The review 
     states, ``Whether one agrees with Tomsen, however, there is 
     no denying that his descriptions of Afghanistan's society and 
     politics are a valuable foundation for any discussion of how 
     the country should be governed . . . Given Tomsen's track 
     record, Americans should give a respectful hearing to his 
     call for a thorough policy reformulation--something beyond 
     tweaks to troop numbers and counterinsurgency tactics.''
       I believe this book should be required reading for you and 
     your team at the Pentagon. Ambassador Tomsen is ready and 
     willing to lend his expertise to this important effort and I 
     again ask that you or your staff meet with him.
       Leon, I renew my call that you use your discretion as 
     secretary and create the Af/Pak Study Group. We owe it to the 
     men and women serving and the families and spouses at home to 
     ensure we have the correct strategy. After 10 years of 
     fighting, it is time to have a fresh set of eyes examine U.S. 
     strategy. Far from a sign of weakness, creating an 
     independent Af/Pak study group would show the Nation that we 
     are doing everything possible to achieve our goals in this 
     region.
       I would welcome the chance to speak with you on this 
     matter.
       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
     Member of Congress.
                                  ____

     Hon. Leon Panetta,
     Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense, The 
         Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Panetta: It was good to be with you at the 
     Pentagon on Sunday to honor the lives lost there 10 years ago 
     in the 9/11 attacks. I want to congratulate you on a moving 
     ceremony that showed reverence to the Pentagon employees and 
     the passengers of American Flight 77 that perished on that 
     awful morning. I appreciated your comments and those of 
     Admiral Mullen. Several of my constituents died at the 
     Pentagon and the first U.S. service member killed in 
     Afghanistan was my constituent. I thank you and all those who 
     have served in public office and in uniform in the 10 years 
     we have waged war against global terrorism.
       As I waited for the program to begin on Sunday, I saw you 
     and former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and was struck by a 
     vivid memory from 2005 of the events surrounding the Iraq 
     war. We were three years into the war, the security situation 
     in Iraq was deteriorating, and our soldiers were dying every 
     day. As a member of Congress who voted to send our troops to 
     fight, I believed I had the added responsibility to make sure 
     the administration was receiving the best advice possible on 
     our Iraq strategy.
       So I proposed creating the Iraq Study Group (ISG) made up 
     of experts outside government to bring what I called ``fresh 
     eyes'' on the target. Secretary Rumsfeld, General Pace, 
     Secretary Rice, and NSC Chairman Hadley all came to see the 
     value in the ISG. By your participation, I think it is fair 
     to say you also saw its benefit, and I greatly appreciated 
     your outstanding service on the bipartisan panel. You and the 
     other Democratic members who gave your time during a 
     Republican administration exemplified the true meaning of 
     service to your country.
       We are now into the 10th year of fighting in Afghanistan 
     and the challenges we face there continue. In 2001, I was the 
     first member of Congress, along with Rep. Joe Pitts, to visit 
     Afghanistan after the U.S. invasion, against the wishes of 
     the Defense Department. We saw firsthand the devastation that 
     the Taliban had visited on Kabul as well as the remnants of 
     the U.S. Embassy that was abandoned in 1979. I have also 
     traveled to Pakistan and seen the difficulties that country 
     faces combating the Afghan Taliban and other terror groups. 
     Despite the current conditions, all my experience in this 
     region tells me that success is possible if we formulate the 
     right strategy to deal with both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
       As with the ISG, I believe fresh eyes are needed now to 
     examine U.S. policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The security 
     situation continues to erode as evidenced by coordinated 
     insurgent attacks on heavily fortified U.S. and NATO 
     compounds just this week. The Taliban still finds safe haven 
     in the tribal wilderness of Pakistan and the ISI actively 
     funds terrorist groups.
       Given these and other concerns on the ground in 
     Afghanistan, I continue to be puzzled why you, the Joint 
     Chiefs of Staff and Secretary Clinton are not supporting the 
     Af/Pak Study Group idea in the same manner that Secretary 
     Rumsfeld and other Bush administration officials supported 
     the ISG. Having the experience of serving on the ISG and now 
     serving as Secretary of Defense with a Democratic president 
     (who I acknowledge inherited the war in Afghanistan), you are 
     in a unique position to make this group a reality. The 
     authorization and funding for the Af/Pak Study Group in the 
     House-passed Defense Appropriations bill gives you the 
     authority to create this group today.
       I have to tell you that I continue to be disappointed that 
     your staff has yet to contact former Ambassador Peter Tomsen 
     to discuss his book, The Wars of Afghanistan. His book 
     provides insightful information on the tribal structure of 
     both Afghanistan and Pakistan and the political allegiances 
     that underlie all actions in the region. I believe his 
     knowledge and experience in this region would be invaluable 
     in formatting future policy in South Asia. I respectfully ask 
     again: please take advantage of his work and meet with him as 
     soon as possible.
       Leon, I don't have the answers on Afghanistan. Perhaps 
     current U.S. strategy is the best way forward. But we owe it 
     to the men and women in uniform who have served and continue 
     to serve there--some paying the ultimate sacrifice--to know 
     definitively. I continue to believe that fresh eyes from 
     outside government focused on assessing the situation is the 
     prudent action to take. I ask that you take the advice of 
     those who support an Af/Pak Study Group, including Jim 
     Dobbins, General Charles Krulak, Ryan Crocker, who I spoke 
     with prior to his appointment as ambassador to Afghanistan, 
     and other prominent Americans with experience in this region.
       I believe it would be a sign of strength to appoint a study 
     group and let the American people know that the 
     administration is willing to examine all possible policies to 
     achieve a successful outcome in this troubled region.
       Best wishes.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
                                               Member of Congress.

[[Page 18174]]



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