Washington - The United States will likely need to send more troops to Afghanistan, the top US military commander said Tuesday. Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee that more US troops are needed to train Afghan forces to maintain security.
"A properly resourced counterinsurgency probably means more forces, and without question, more time and more commitment to the protection of the Afghanistan people and to the development of good governance," Mullen said in a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing on his appointment to serve a second term as the top US military official.
General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, is expected to request more US troops in the coming weeks, but Mullen said a number has not yet been agreed upon.
The last of a US troop surge requested by President Barack Obama earlier this year will be on the ground by the end of the month, Mullen said. The US has boosted its forces there by 17,000 combat troops and 4,000 trainers to work with the Afghan military, he said.
Carl Levin, the top Democrat on the committee, said the US should first focus on improving the capabilities of the Afghan military before committing any more US troops to the conflict.
"Providing the resources needed for the Afghan Army and Afghan police to become self-sufficient would demonstrate our commitment to the success of a mission that is in our national security interest while avoiding the risks associated with a larger US footprint," he said. "I believe these steps should be urgently implemented before we consider a further increase in US ground combat troops beyond what is already planned to be deployed by the end of the year."
John McCain, the ranking Republican, disagreed, saying waiting to send more troops would repeat mistakes made in Iraq.
"If we await the day when the Afghan National Army is increased in size and capable of carrying out all of these operations fully on its own, it may well be too late," McCain said.
