A Step In The Right Direction In Afghanistan

John McCain
Aug 22, 2017 · 2 min read

I commend President Trump for taking a big step in the right direction with the new strategy for Afghanistan. The unfortunate truth is that this strategy is long overdue, and in the interim, the Taliban have made dangerous inroads. Nevertheless, I believe the President is now moving us well beyond the prior administration’s failed strategy of merely postponing defeat. It is especially important that the newly announced strategy gives no timeline for withdrawal, rather ensures that any decision to reduce our commitment in the future will be based on conditions on the ground. The President is also correct to frame this new effort as a comprehensive regional strategy. Preventing another attack on our homeland and helping our Afghan allies secure the future of their country is not just a matter of troop levels in Afghanistan. It requires the broad application of all the tools of American statecraft throughout the region.

For the last 16 years we have faltered. Now we must keep up the right level of effort, in the right places, with the right authorities and resources, together with our allies and partners, and see this conflict through to success. To do this, the President must conduct himself as a wartime commander-in-chief. He must speak regularly to the American people, and to those waging this war on their behalf, about why we are fighting, why the additional sacrifices are worth it, and how we will succeed.

At the same time, the Congress must meet its responsibilities for overseeing the war in Afghanistan and providing the necessary resources for it. The Senate Armed Services Committee will continue to meet its special obligations in this regard, beginning with a hearing on this new strategy in September. Congress has a role to play in sending America’s young men and women into harm’s way, and we intend to exercise that responsibility.

The road ahead will not be easy, but America and the world cannot afford an Afghanistan that is under control of the Taliban and other terrorist organizations.

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John McCain

U.S. Senator for Arizona, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee

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