{"id":39209,"date":"2015-02-12T15:44:41","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T15:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2015\/02\/12\/us-commander-wants-troop-level-flexibility\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:03:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:03:01","slug":"us-commander-wants-troop-level-flexibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2015\/02\/12\/us-commander-wants-troop-level-flexibility\/","title":{"rendered":"US Commander Wants Troop-Level &#8216;Flexibility&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The top US commander in Afghanistan says he has provided the White House with options that would keep more American forces there beyond 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army Gen. John Campbell told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday he has submitted &#8220;options&#8221; to President Barack Obama that would provide &#8220;flexibility&#8221; to current plans to remove almost all US forces <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">out<\/span> by the end of next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Obama administration intends to bring the US troop footprint in Afghanistan to around 4,500 by the end of this year, then a normal embassy presence in Kabul by the end of 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4256\" height=\"2832\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597447630024-101614frontlines-04jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8172\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597447630024-101614frontlines-04jpg.jpg 4256w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597447630024-101614frontlines-04jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597447630024-101614frontlines-04jpg.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597447630024-101614frontlines-04jpg.jpg?resize=1024,681 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597447630024-101614frontlines-04jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1022 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597447630024-101614frontlines-04jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1363 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4256px) 100vw, 4256px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Navy Airman Nathan Mitchell performs maintenance on an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) in the Philippine Sea Oct. 14, 2014. The George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provided security in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Loni Mae Lopez, U.S. Navy\/Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Campbell said his &#8220;options&#8221; focus mostly on the pace of the planned US withdrawal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That all causes heartburn for some US lawmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SASC Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., warned &#8220;unforeseen circumstances&#8221; could undermine what he sees as Obama&#8217;s &#8220;calendar-based approach and highlight the need for a conditions-based approach.<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The current troop drawdown plan for Afghanistan no longer accurately reflects the facts and conditions on the ground,&#8221; McCain said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Perhaps it is time for the president to exercise strategic patience \u2014 not in the sense he has used the phrase recently,&#8221; he added, taking a swipe at the philosophy espoused in Obama&#8217;s new national security strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked if he stands by the current troop-level plans, Campbell told the committee he feels comfortable with the number of US troops planned to stay this year \u2014 and in the options for &#8220;flexibility&#8221; he provided the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b style=\"background: #ffffff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/budget-policy\/congresswatch\/\" style=\"background: #ffffff;\">For the latest national security news from Capitol Hill, go to CongressWatch<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., urged the general to push the White House to keep more US forces there into 2016. Sessions said he thinks the American people would support an extension and that &#8220;the president would listen.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like other US and NATO uniformed commanders who sat at the witness table before him, Campbell told the committee more time is needed to secure a strategic victory there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The next two years of the &#8230; campaign will play a crucial role in cementing our gains,&#8221; the Army four-star said. &#8220;As in the past, our drawdown will occur under enemy pressure. We will need to manage to our efforts to maximize the effects of our [tactical air controllers] and our continued consolidation toward a Kabul-centric posture in 2016.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Campbell warned the panel against expecting any clean outcome by year&#8217;s end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Considering the dynamism of the operational environment and the players within it, we will not pursue, nor hope to achieve, a static &#8216;endstate&#8217; for 2015,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Our campaign will evolve and adapt. What we will pursue, however, is a general improvement in security conditions and ANSF [Afghan National Security Forces] capabilities.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Afghan forces are now in the lead on the ground, and Campbell says &#8220;al-Qaida, its affiliates and adherents, Taliban, Haqqani Network, and other insurgent and extremist groups will undoubtedly attempt to re-establish their authority and prominence in Afghanistan.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3353\" height=\"1918\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597443830024-101614frontlines-02jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597443830024-101614frontlines-02jpg.jpg 3353w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597443830024-101614frontlines-02jpg.jpg?resize=300,172 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597443830024-101614frontlines-02jpg.jpg?resize=768,439 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597443830024-101614frontlines-02jpg.jpg?resize=1024,586 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597443830024-101614frontlines-02jpg.jpg?resize=1536,879 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635490597443830024-101614frontlines-02jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1172 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3353px) 100vw, 3353px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Army 1st Lt. James Lockett, left, and Staff Sgt. Jose Ramirez, right, watch Spc. Richard Rodriguez shoot an AT4 anti-tank weapon in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Oct. 11, 2014. The Soldiers were with 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston, U.S. Army National Guard\/Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ominously, he said al-Qaida and its affiliates will try to restore &#8220;support networks and planning capabilities with the intention of reconstituting its strike capabilities against Western interests.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Campbell predicts the Taliban &#8220;will<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">l<\/span> likely test the ANSF aggressively in 2015 as they did in 2014.<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Taliban threats from indirect fire, insider attacks and complex attacks are projected to increase in the next fighting season,&#8221; Campbell told the senators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He called it &#8220;unlikely&#8221; that Taliban forces will &#8220;overmatch&#8221; Afghan troops in 2015, but added &#8220;the Taliban will still endeavor to frame localized, tactical successes \u2014 albeit temporary \u2014 intro strategic victories through the media.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notably, he said those &#8220;insurgents&#8221; do not amount to &#8220;an existential threat&#8221; to the Afghan government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The independent group NationalPriorities.org estimates Washington has spent nearly $800 billion on the war in Afghanistan. Another, icasualties.org, says 2,356 US forces have been killed there since late 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;\">Email: <\/span><\/i><a href=\"mailto:jbennett@defensenews.com\"><i><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;\">jbennett@defensenews.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;\">Twitter:<\/span><span style=\"color: #5b9bd5; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BennettJohnT\">@bennettjohnt<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The top US commander in Afghanistan says he has provided the White House with options that would keep more American forces there beyond 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":82402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[8,33,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1090],"class_list":["post-39209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-home","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YXNQOYKJ2BF5POTLR5E4CZFAMY","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/2015\/02\/12\/us-commander-wants-troop-level-flexibility\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US Commander Wants Troop-Level &#039;Flexibility&#039; - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The top US commander in Afghanistan says he has provided the White House with options that would keep more American forces there beyond 2016.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2015\/02\/12\/us-commander-wants-troop-level-flexibility\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Commander Wants Troop-Level &#039;Flexibility&#039;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The top US commander in Afghanistan says he has provided the White House with options that would keep more American forces there beyond 2016.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2015\/02\/12\/us-commander-wants-troop-level-flexibility\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-02-12T15:44:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:03:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John T. 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