Commander's Initial Assessment, 30 August 2009.

• Author: Abrahamson, James L.
• Position: General Stanley A. McChrystal on Afghanistan

COMMANDER'S INITIAL ASSESSMENT, 30 August 2009

media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/Assessment_Redacted_092109.pdf?sid=ST2009092003140

By General Stanley A. McChrystal, Commander of NATO International Security Force, Afghanistan

During his election campaign, President Barack Obama frequently referred to Afghanistan as the "necessary war," the battle on terrorism's "central front" that the U.S. must win. Shortly after taking office, the president set forth what he believed must be achieved there. Midyear, he replaced his commander in Afghanistan with newly promoted General McChrystal and dispatched him to assess the situation. Two months in the making and involving both military and civilian expertise, the general's sixty-five page assessment of the situation as of 30 August 2009 includes a five-page statement of purpose and summary, a twenty-two page very lightly redacted Commander's Initial Assessment of the situation in Afghanistan, which also outlines what McChrystal believes must be done to accomplish the president's aims, and nine annexes, some of which for reasons of security are incomplete.

The general's report clearly implies a not-yet-officially requested but significant--"jump"--in the number of U.S. ground forces as well as a major civilian contribution to support economic, social, and political development. He clearly seeks, that is, to wage a counter-insurgency campaign rather than the more limited and largely off-shore anti-terrorist campaign that has recently appealed to pundits and politicians who have become weary of years of war or are reluctant to spend more money and put more lives at risk, even in the country that once gave shelter to al Qaeda. Readers watching that debate with interest, should read at least McChrystal's assessment and demand from those advocating alternative approaches a strategic concept with chances of success that are at least comparable to the general's proposed counter-insurgency campaign. When trying to make a personal judgment, readers should also consider what both approaches might mean to the United States, the people of Afghanistan, and the region.

The following sketch of the general's assessment and the strategy he proposes is hardly comprehensive but is offered in hopes it will prompt readers to study the entire report. Using as guidance the president's previous statements, General McChrystal defines his task as disrupting, dismantling, eventually defeating al Qaeda and...