Our Strategy in Afghanistan

By Congressman Hank Johnson

President Obama presented his Afghanistan strategy in a speech at West Point on December 2, 2009.  I have serious concerns regarding the proposed strategy’s viability.  I continue to seek specifics from Administration and military officials and guidance from experts within and outside of the U.S. government.  My constituents and our military personnel expect me to take great care before making any decisions about war funding. The president asked for space to craft a new policy moving forward in Afghanistan, and I am going to take some time to weigh his proposal.

Afghanistan’s proximity to Pakistan, a struggling nuclear state whose frontier provinces are a haven for warlords and terrorists, makes Afghan security critical to global security. I agree with the President's assessment that Afghanistan must not become an unimpeded sanctuary for militants and terrorists who would undermine Pakistan’s security, threaten the security of its nuclear arsenal, and plot terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies.

As a member of the House Committee on Armed Services, I join my colleagues in continuing to conduct vigorous oversight of our strategy in Afghanistan. After nearly a decade of sustained armed conflict, our armed forces are under strain; as a member of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Subcommittee on Military Personnel, the morale and well-being of our armed forces will be constantly on my mind as we weigh our options in Afghanistan.

[Last updated January 7, 2010]