Obama to Dispatch More Troops and Civilians to Afghanistan

President Obama promised a change when campaigning for his new role as leader of the free world, and made it clear that he didn’t agree with the military policies of the previous administration. Well, now that change is coming, though not exactly in the form one may expect. The focus of many during the campaign was the Iraq war, which Obama always maintained was wrongly taking attention away from the more important theater of operations in Afghanistan. Now, Obama is planning to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, which is in addition to the 17,000 that have already been ordered. Among the plans for the region is to offer assistance to Pakistan and to use a large cadre of military trainers to increase the effectiveness and size of the Afghan army.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters while in Mexico recently, It is an integrated military-civilian strategy. We are convinced that the most critical underpinning of any success we hope to achieve, along with the people and government of Afghanistan, will be looking at where civilian trainers, aid workers, technical assistance of all kinds can be best utilized." Careful not to step on Obama’s toes, Clinton didn’t go into any further details.

White House staffers wouldn’t comment on the Obama plan, but a written document highlights some of the overall strategy involved, referring to it as a "strategy for success" rather than a withdrawal plan and focusing heavily on bringing stability to both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border. Obama is generally receiving support, with even his one-time rival Senator John McCain indicating that the plan seems sounds as long as the necessary troops and support personnel are available.