Washington, DC – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) today returned from a Congressional delegation fact-finding trip to Afghanistan to meet with troops and American military leaders, and to hear of Afghan efforts from local government officials.

“As a member of Congress and especially as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the opportunity to travel to Afghanistan and visit with troops on the ground and local Afghans is invaluable,” Wittman said. “It’s important to hear firsthand both the successes and challenges that our warfighters experience each day as they selflessly serve this nation. This trip gave true perspective to the conditions on the ground and will help us to better understand how we can best support the efforts of our men and women in uniform as they perform combat operations and work to transition security responsibilities to Afghan security forces. It is evident we’re making progress on the military side and the U.S. civilian side. There is still much progress to be made in Afghanistan --both in the government and with its security forces.”

The Congressional delegation traveled to Afghanistan for a two-day fact-finding visit, stopping in Kabul, Regional Command - East, and Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan for meetings with U.S. Ambassador Eikenberry, American military personnel and Afghan national and local officials.  Discussions centered around a wide range of issues, including the recent elections, the status of the Afghan National Security Forces, and the overall security and political pictures in Afghanistan. In Kabul and at Camp Leatherneck in the Helmand Province, Congressman Wittman had a chance to have lunch with numerous Virginians serving in Afghanistan.

Wittman continued, “In all cases, the servicemen and women I visited had extremely high morale and felt they were having a positive impact on their individual missions. This was promising to hear, and as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to express my thanks for their service, their selfless attitude and their dedication to this country and freedom across the world.”

This was Wittman’s third visit to Afghanistan in two years. Wittman wrote a detailed journal of the trip which you can view by clicking here. Photos can be viewed on Congressman Wittman’s Facebook page, or in high-resolution upon request.