Floor Statement of U.S. Senator Max Baucus - Change of Course in Afghanistan

Statement

Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus is re-emphasizing his call for a change of course in Afghanistan as tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

In May, following the death of Osama bin Laden, Baucus urged President Obama to make three changes in the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

In a speech (full text below) on the Senate floor Baucus said it's time to:

1. Begin handing responsibility over to Afghan forces and bring most of our troops home by the end of next year,

2. Focus on fighting terrorism - not nation building; and

3. Center our efforts to keep America safe from terrorism on where most terrorist threats come from: Pakistan.

Floor Statement of U.S. Senator Max Baucus

May 25, 2011

Change of Course in Afghanistan

Mr. President, I rise today to call for a change of course in Afghanistan. On May 1st, a targeted strike by US forces achieved a central goal of the war that began in Afghanistan nearly a decade ago.

The death of Osama bin Laden by no means ends the threat posed by al Qaeda or other terrorist groups. However, bin Laden's death provides an opportunity for Congress and the White House to assess a new strategy for keeping America safe and defending our interests around the world.

Today I am calling for three changes to our strategy in Afghanistan.

First, we must begin handing responsibility over to Afghan forces and bring most of our troops home by the end of next year.

Second, we should focus on fighting terrorism - not nation building.

Third, our efforts to keep America safe from terrorism should center on where most terrorist threats come from: Pakistan.

The US should not be doing the work that Afghans should be doing for themselves. The Afghans need to stand up and take responsibility for the security of their own country.

The President has announced that this July will mark the beginning of a transition of security responsibility to Afghan forces. However, in my view the transition plan is too slow. We need to begin handing responsibility of security to Afghan forces immediately and aim to have most US combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of next year.

We should leave behind only a small force necessary to hunt down and kill terrorists in Afghanistan and help the Afghan military perform their duties.

We Americans are fortunate to have the best military in the world. These brave men and women continue to do everything we ask of them. They have spent almost ten years fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Many of our troops have spent multiple years deployed overseas. Hiking over frigid mountains. Traversing hot deserts. With heavy loads on their backs. Years apart from their families.

But you don't hear these troops complain. These Americans continue to serve, to fight, and to die, for the country that we all love. Seeing these troops in action during my visit to Afghanistan last year was truly remarkable.

This unwavering commitment has come at a great price. As of today, 1, 219 troops have been killed in Afghanistan. 11,541 have been wounded. Nine Montanans have died and 50 Montanans have been wounded fighting in Afghanistan.

These Montanans hail from small towns like Hungry Horse, Darby, Shepherd, and Troy. Behind each of these fallen warriors are dozens of broken hearts in their families and communities.

Thousands more will suffer their entire lives with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries that have thus far gone undetected.

These brave troops continue to fight because we ask them to and because they love their country. I receive letters from their families all the time, like this one from Janice Roberts from Malta, Montana.

Janice writes:

"Our twenty-seven year old son is being sent on a third combat deployment to Afghanistan. This is his second ordeal there in less than a year. Our son has not even recovered emotionally, or mentally, from the last two deployments. Truthfully, the only people who care what is happening to our young troops are other military families."

This letter is a reminder that we have a sacred obligation to our troops and their families. Any mission we ask them to accomplish must be vital to American national security.

And it is time that we demand that the Afghans shoulder more of the load. Afghan police forces stand at 285,000. In 2010, the Afghan National Security Forces grew by 70,000. We have spent ten years training them. It is time for the Afghans to do the job we've trained them to do.

As we draw down in Afghanistan, the Afghans will have to step up. And as we withdraw, they will face the task of governing their own country. The Afghans will develop Afghan solutions to Afghan problems. That is the way it needs to be.

Second, we need to invest more in killing terrorists and less on nation building. The raid that killed bin Laden relied on years of perseverance by intelligence officers. Expensive surveillance technology. And the best special operations forces on earth. We need to continue to make investments in these capabilities to see that other terrorists face the same fate as bin Laden.

As we invest more in counter-terrorism capabilities, we do so knowing full well that we are facing enormous challenges at home. The U.S. government's total debt exceeds $14 trillion.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen has described US debt as the "biggest national security threat."

Since September 11, 2001, we have spent over $1.2 trillion in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every month, we spend $10 billion in Afghanistan. This is roughly one out of every seven dollars we spend on defense. This level of spending is simply not sustainable.

We should focus on the core mission that led us to Afghanistan to begin with: keeping America safe from terrorism.

Finally, and most importantly, our fight against global terrorism must begin with a focus on Pakistan.

In 2008, then-CIA director Michael Hayden said, "Let me be very clear today, virtually every major terrorist threat that my agency is aware of has threads back to the tribal areas of Pakistan."

A State Department report last summer reiterated this assessment and found that "Al-Qaeda's core in Pakistan remained the most formidable terrorist organization targeting the U.S. homeland."

We have invested enormous sums to build an effective partnership with Pakistan to fight terrorism. Since 2002, the United States has provided over $18 billion in foreign assistance to Pakistan - the highest of any other country in 2009 except Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yet it is no secret that Pakistan plays a double game. And Osama bin Laden's hideout location raises serious questions. I recently called upon Secretary Gates and Secretary Clinton to take a hard look at whether Pakistan is doing enough to find and kill terrorists in its own country. I will not support providing funding to Pakistan until I review this assessment.

I am gravely concerned about the commitment of Pakistan's military and intelligence services to fighting terrorism. During a visit to Pakistan last year, I made it clear to President Zardari and General Kayani that Pakistan must do more to eliminate safe havens within their own borders. We cannot accept excuses. We need results.

Without progress in Pakistan, we cannot succeed in Afghanistan. But the sad irony is our large troop presence in Afghanistan actually makes it harder to press Pakistan to crack down on terrorists and militants.

Most of the fuel, food, and ammunition for our troops in Afghanistan are imported through Pakistan. As long as we depend on the Port of Karachi for our supplies, we have limited leverage on Pakistan to force an end to this deadly double game. To effectively defend our nation against terrorism, we need to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan and focus on Pakistan.

Our military can do almost anything we ask it to do. But it can't do everything. To meet the growing challenges around the world, we need to start bringing out troops home from Afghanistan this July and complete the withdrawal by the end of next year.

We need to work together to make the 21st Century the American century. We need to focus on improving education. Rebuilding roads and bridges. And making the American economy the best place to do business in the world.

The death of Osama bin Laden marks a turning point in history. We must take advantage of this opportunity to chart a new course in Afghanistan. I salute the brave men and women who made this day possible and continue to serve overseas. My thoughts are with the hundreds of Montanans serving in the armed forces. May God Bless America and may He keep our brave troops safe.

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