Floor Statements
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OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN AT SASC NOMINATION HEARING OF GENERAL JOSEPH DUNFORD
November 15, 2012
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today delivered the following opening statement at the Senate Armed Services Committee nomination hearing of General Joseph Dunford to be Commander, International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan:
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And let me thank our distinguished witness for joining us this morning – and for his many years of impressive service in uniform.
“Let me first say a word about General John Allen, our Commander in Afghanistan, who we had expected to testify today on his nomination to be Commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander. While this Committee awaits the findings of the Defense Department Inspector General’s investigation, I continue to believe that General Allen is one of our best military leaders. And I continue to have confidence in his ability to lead the war in Afghanistan.
“General Dunford: I am grateful for your willingness to accept this nomination to serve as Commander of U.S. Forces and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. But I also believe that, if confirmed, you will have a difficult road ahead of you. I think our mission in Afghanistan is at a very serious and troubling crossroads, and much of the recent reporting is deeply worrisome.
“Unfortunately, over the past few months, our enemies have been rather successful in carrying out so-called insider attacks that have killed and wounded many American and Afghan troops. As I am sure you would agree, General Dunford, it is hard to overstate the damage these kinds of attacks do to the morale of our troops and to our broader mission of supporting the growth and professionalization of Afghan forces. It is hard for our troops to work effectively with their Afghan partners when they have reason to mistrust some among them. While I support the decision to suspend many of these partnering efforts, it is harmful nonetheless.
“We are also seeing more and more reports of declining security in Afghanistan, including in a province like Bamiyan, which was once one of the safest places in the country. Al-Qaeda is working harder than ever to reestablish safe havens in eastern Afghanistan, and there is some evidence that they are succeeding. And in what was perhaps the most brazen and least-reported attack this year, a small unit of Taliban operatives fought their way into Camp Bastion, in Helmand Province, in September, and managed to destroy six Harrier aircraft, at a total loss of nearly $200 million. Two Marines were killed in that attack – including Lt. Col. Christopher Raible, a Marine aviator, who lost his life after running toward the fight and bravely battling heavily-armed insurgents with only his pilot’s side arm.
“Not surprisingly, this perception of growing insecurity is heightening ethnic and other factional tensions in Afghanistan, which could portend a renewal of civil conflict. Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that Ismail Khan, a Tajik warlord who was responsible for some of the worst violence of Afghanistan’s civil war, is calling on his supporters to rearm and prepare for a resumption of conflict against the Taliban. These comments were echoed by Marshall Mohammed Fahim, another powerful former warlord and a Tajik, who stated, ‘If the Afghan security forces are not able to wage this war, then call upon the mujahedeen.’
“All of these problems in Afghanistan are compounded by the two major strategic challenges we face: The continued corruption and ineffectiveness on the part of the Afghan government and the safe haven for Taliban leadership and other insurgent groups that exists in Pakistan, and which continues to go unaddressed – or worse.
“None of these developments should be surprising: They can all be traced back to the fundamental doubt about America’s resolve in this conflict, a doubt that is shared among our friends and enemies alike in Afghanistan and the region. The President’s repeated emphasis on withdrawal, without laying out what would constitute a successful and sustainable transition, has only fed the belief in Afghanistan that the United States is committed to getting out, regardless of conditions on the ground. This doubt has encouraged all actors in Afghanistan and the region to hedge their bets, which increases the worst instincts of the Afghan government, and increases the chance of a return to civil conflict in our absence.
“Our mission is now at a crossroads, and we can now go down one of two paths. The first is what I fear the President will embark on – implementing aggressive cuts to our forces in Afghanistan well before 2014 and then leaving a presence of supporting forces that is not equal to the tasks they need to perform, if a new security agreement is concluded at all. This path would constitute a rush to failure, place unnecessary risks on our forces, and I could not support it in any respect.
“There is, however, another path: We could delay the further withdrawal of U.S. forces until 2014, so as to give our commanders maximum flexibility and combat power to achieve our goals. Furthermore, we could conclude a robust security agreement with the Afghan government that would maintain sufficient numbers of U.S. forces to perform the tasks that will continue to be essential beyond 2014: Counterterrorism, intelligence, and training of Afghan forces. Both of these steps could form the military basis of a political strategy to foster better Afghan governance, better cooperation from countries in the region, and ultimately a negotiated end to the war on terms that are favorable to our Afghan allies, and us.
“General Dunford: If confirmed, yours will be a key voice in shaping these decisions. I hope that you will advocate for actions that can limit the risks to our mission, and limit the risks to our brave men and women in harms way, while increasing our chances of success. I also hope that you will speak truth to power and resist the kind of precipitous withdrawal of support for Afghanistan that would be a sure recipe for failure. All of us look forward to hearing how you would intend to execute the major responsibilities that could be entrusted to you.”
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