Military

Mr. Chairman, Congressman Skelton, Members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you here today to provide an update on the progress of our operations in Afghanistan, and to acknowledge your continued commitment to the men and women of the Coalition, both uniformed and civilian. Having just returned from Afghanistan, I can strongly echo what the Deputy Secretary and the Chairman told you last week: Your unequivocal moral support and unhesitating response to our requirements are vital to continued progress in Afghanistan. For all the challenges we face, Afghanistan is a success story in very many ways - beginning with the absolutely outstanding service of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, to the great achievements of our international coalitions in both Operation Enduring Freedom and NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), to the deployment of the Afghan National Army as a premier Afghan national institution and the adoption of a Constitution enshrining, democratic principles. Today, I would like to highlight several areas of substantial achievement.

Threat Assessment

First, let me note the primary threat remains a Taliban -led insurgency active in the South and East of Afghanistan. While this insurgency poses no real military threat to Coalition forces, the insurgents are attempting to disrupt or slow the pace of Afghan reconstruction. This threat will intensify in the run up to Afghan elections in September. As in Iraq, the insurgents know that participatory democracy seriously undermines their ability to achieve their objectives.

We recognize that continued factionalism also poses a threat to political and military stabilization.     

Coalition Participation

In order to defeat this threat, the joint forces participating in operation MOUNTAIN STORM continue to roll back terrorists and anti-Coalition and government forces along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Coalition forces, including Afghan National Army soldiers, are capturing and destroying significant caches of mortar, rocket and small arms munitions, and detaining hundreds of the enemy - many of whom are providing actionable intelligence.

Apart from combat operations, Coalition countries' other contributions to Operation Enduring Freedom are equally impressive: they bring vital medical, engineering, demining and training skills, and are operating and contributing to several of our Provincial Reconstruction Teams, or PRTs. Eleven nations, including Canada, Germany and France not only have significant forces in the Coalition, but in NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), as well. All told, there are over 2,000 personnel from 19 countries supporting Coalition operations in Afghanistan.

To improve political-military coordination, the Commander Combined Forces Command, Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Barno, shifted his headquarters from Bagram to Kabul in February of this year. He and Ambassador Khalilzad continue to explore ways to improve the synergy of their operations, and their interaction with the Government of Afghanistan, the Commander of ISAF, NATO's Senior Civilian Representative, and, of course, the United Nations.

For our part, the Joint Staff has invited military policy representatives from 62 nations to participate in a Coalition Executive Planners Conference on May 6^th and 7^th. The attendees will receive briefings on the strategic operational goals in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the primary focus of the conference will be to discuss collective strategies to achieve international security objectives.

Global War on Terrorism (GWOT)/CJTF-180 Operations/OEF Rotations

The war in Iraq has not distracted our military efforts in Afghanistan.  In fact, we have more soldiers in Afghanistan today than we did at the start of the Iraq war. 

When hostilities began, we had about 10,000 US troops in Afghanistan. This number remained steady until November of last year. Over the last several months, an additional Marine Corps infantry battalion deployed to Khost, CFC-A Headquarters stood up in Kabul, a second Infantry Brigade Headquarters deployed in support of the LTG Barno's Regional Command Plan, and the US established six additional PRTs. We currently have approximately 17,000 troops in Afghanistan. Following the hand-off from OEF V to OEF VI, and the drawdown following the campaign season and Afghan elections, we expect the number of troops in Afghanistan to stabilize at about 13,000.

Since February, we have deployed significant forces in support of Operation MOUNTAIN STORM, notably the 22^nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. Operation MOUNTAIN STORM continues to offensive operations in the south and east with aggressive reconnaissance, interdiction patrolling and occupation of blocking positions along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, support of ongoing Pakistani counter-terrorism operations, combat air sorties, and force protection.

International Participation

Military operations are complemented by unprecedented efforts in the "nation-building" arena, defined by five areas of Security Sector Reform and twelve National Development Programs chaired by cognizant Afghan ministries.

Of interest here is Security Sector Reform. Within this initiative, the United States leads the development of the Afghan National Army. Our acceleration program is on track to provide  [JN notes: some of these 10,000, more than 2000, will still be in training.]over 10,000 Afghan soldiers by June 2004; the Central Corps is already fully manned.

The United Kingdom is the lead nation for counter-narcotics. They are currently engaged in a countrywide drug interdiction program under the auspices of the provincial governors, and building the information-sharing infrastructure, which I will discuss later with US and Afghan law enforcement agencies.

Italy is the lead nation for judicial reform. In addition to various rule of law projects in the provinces, they are working with Afghan legal authorities to complete an interim criminal code, staff the courts and train judges.

Germany, with substantial support from the United States, has the lead on the development of the Afghan National Police; and Japan and UNAMA lead the demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) effort.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)

ISAF's contributions are key to operations in Afghanistan. Over 6,200 personnel from 34 countries continue to operate Kabul International Airport, the German-led NATO/ISAF PRT at Konduz, conduct force protection patrols and reconnaissance within their areas of operations, staff Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Teams, provide ANA training in cooperation with US trainers, interact with community leaders and citizens, and provide medical support for ISAF personnel and, when possible Afghan citizens.

NATO Expansion

NATO continues to develop their expansion plan. The North Atlantic Council approved the expansion operation plan (OPLAN) in early April. All 26 Permanent Representatives, accompanied by General Jones, are visiting Afghanistan this week, where they will receive a full spectrum of briefings from Coalition and ISAF leaders, and have the opportunity to visit sites in and around Kabul, as well as a PRT.

Joint Staff, Central Command and NATO planners are working closely to ensure NATO expansion activities are fully integrated with the established political-military strategy in Afghanistan. The Joint Staff has taken every opportunity, in every venue, to encourage greater participation from the international community in Afghanistan - whether with the Coalition or ISAF.

Actual NATO expansion, however, depends on Allies' contributing the necessary forces. Like Lord Robertson and General Jones, NATO Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer continues to emphasize that ISAF expansion must be fully resourced to continue. Frankly, this is proving the greatest challenge to ISAF expansion.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT)

Central to most of our reconstruction activities are the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT). By mid-summer, we expect to have sixteen or more PRTs up and running across Afghanistan. Fifteen of these will be under Coalition command, including the British PRT at Mazar-e-Sharif, and the New Zealand PRT at Bamian. Germany leads NATO/ISAF's flagship PRT at Konduz.

As a reminder, Provincial Reconstruction Teams are multinational and inter-agency, with about 60-80 military and civilian personnel on staff. Each team has been tailored to ensure they have the capabilities suited to mission requirements in their respective regions. Typically, a PRT will have a Headquarters and Civil-Military Affairs sections, a civilian-led reconstruction team, engineers, security and military observer teams, linguists and interpreters, and a medical team.

The PRTs work closely with Afghan government ministries, UN agencies and NGOs in advancing common reconstruction objectives and interact with regional political, military and community leaders to extend the reach of the central government, enhance security, build provincial governing capacity, reinforce national development priorities and facilitate reconstruction. The Afghan Minister of the Interior, Lieutenant General Barno, and the ISAF Commander, Lieutenant General Hillier co-chair the PRT Executive Steering Committee, which meets on a regular basis to address all issues relating to PRTs, and ensure that all PRT activities are consistent with Afghan national government priorities and the overarching political-military strategy for Afghanistan.

Increasingly, PRTs facilitate and coordinate local security duties in their operating areas with elements of the Afghan National Army and Afghan law enforcement.

Additionally, over 400 schools, 600 wells and over 170 medical facilities have been provided through PRT and USAID reconstruction projects across Afghanistan. Equally importantly, DoD alone has employed over 33,000 Afghans countrywide to work on these reconstruction projects. This "hire local" concept will be especially important when PRTs open in less stable areas, such as Kandahar, where few NGOs currently operate.   

Afghan National Army

The development of the Afghan National Army, or ANA is undoubtedly one of the best good news stories in Afghanistan.  In a society with a history of weak central government control, where tribes and factions and warlord militias predominate, the new multi-ethnic, non-factional army is the most visible symbol of central government influence outside of Kabul. 

The future of democratic reforms, good governance, and economic prosperity is dependent on the  ability of the Afghan government to provide for the country's  own security.  The ANA has no ties to local leaders or warlords, and provides a rallying point for national pride.  It has performed superbly across the spectrum of combat and stabilization operations: fighting side by side with coalition forces; seizing drugs in transit; providing security for the Constitutional Loya Jirga; providing stability during factional militia confrontations; and overseeing the cantonment of heavy weapons. Wherever the ANA goes, their fellow citizens, who are clearly impressed by their professionalism, greet them with heart-warming enthusiasm.

Today, the ANA has over 8,000 troops in operational forces in the Central Corps garrison in Kabul, 2,500 of whom are currently deployed across the country, plus  over 2,000 additional recruits in training.   [Not DC approved.] Training rates above 10,000 recruits annually will provide increasing strength for the ANA.

Disarmament, Demobilization And Reintegration (DDR)

Possibly the most critical step in security sector reform, is the demobilization, disarmament and reintegration of the remaining Afghan militia forces. As of 22 April over 6,000 former militia, both soldiers and officers have been demobilized, with over 5,000 having completed the reintegration process through the pilot programs in Konduz, Gardez, Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif. Many of these former militia members are now training in trades, returning to agricultural occupations and becoming productive citizens of Afghanistan.

 

A further DDR pilot project began in Kandahar on 29 March.  850 soldiers have been disarmed to date, and reintegration began last week. 

 

The Afghanistan New Beginnings Program (ANBP) is making final preparations for the start of the main phase of DDR, with a goal of disarming over 33,000 soldiers, decommissioning 38 units, and downsizing a further 39 units by 30 June throughout Afghanistan. 

ANBP teams continue to make assessments of heavy weapons in eight locations: Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, Konduz, Kandahar, Jalalabad, Herat, Gardez, and Bamian. ISAF forces in Kabul, for example, have cantoned 150 of an estimated 549 heavy weapons, including armored personnel carriers, artillery, multi-launcher rocket systems, heavy mortars, anti-tank weapons, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, and anti-aircraft defense systems.

Police

The efforts on the military side are complemented by the development of the Afghan National Police (ANP).  The training programs led by Germany and the United States, with contributions from other nations, have together fielded over 8,800 police officers. Of these, the United States has trained over 5,000.  Police training centers are up and running in Kabul, Gardez, Mazar, Kandahar, Konduz and Jalalabad.  Training centers are also slated for Herat and Bamian. We expect to have trained 20,000 police by June 2004.

Like the ANA, the Afghan police will be critical to security during the Afghan elections in September. They will be the first line of security for their countrymen: the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) plans to place 6 police officers at each of 4,200 registration and polling sites.

Again like the ANA, the police are beginning to prove themselves in the field. Over 600 police have been deployed to northern Afghanistan in response to the recent factional fighting in Mazar-e-Sharif and Faryab province. These officers conducted foot and vehicle patrols in the city, operated checkpoints at the four entrances to the city, and provided personal security to the Governor of Faryab province. Their presence helped quell unrest in the area and is further demonstrating the growing ability of the central government to respond swiftly and effectively to security challenges.

Counter-narcotics

Counter-narcotics operations are key to long-term stability and security in Afghanistan. Our efforts against Afghanistan's narcotics industry are focused on supporting the United Kingdom (as lead nation) and the Afghan Ministry of the Interior in eradicating and interdicting drugs.  Currently, Combined Joint Task Force 180 does not conduct separate direct counter-narcotics operations.  Central Command has published written guidance to Coalition forces authorizing commanders on the ground to take appropriate action to destroy drugs or drug labs discovered during the course of normal combat operations.

Additionally, U.S Central Command is developing plans to utilize the $73 million from the FY 04 Supplemental. This part has not been fully vetted through the DC that I am aware of. 

Afghan Elections

Afghanistan is currently entering the final phase of voter registration, and planning for the Afghan elections in September. Lieutenant General Barno has contributed several officers to the elections planning cell, and is working closely with UNAMA to develop the elections security plan.

Pakistan Operations and the AFG-PAK Border

Pakistan continues to keep substantial military forces in the vicinity of Waziristan and is actively engaged in counter-terrorism operations as part of the Global War on Terrorism. The government of Pakistan and the military are also working a political solution through tribal leaders to apprehend and surrender any foreign forces in the area.

Lieutenant General Barno continues to work with the Pakistanis and Afghans to improve cooperation between the forces of those countries and the Coalition forces operating in Afghanistan.  The main vehicle for effecting this cooperation is the Tripartite Commission, which Lieutenant General Barno attends on a monthly basis with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts.  The Commission has established several working sub-groups tasked to complete action items identified by the senior leaders.

These Tripartite Commission meetings have greatly improved the cooperation and communications in the critical border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.  As an example, the Afghans and Pakistanis now have established border points where regular face-to-face meetings occur, as well as vetted procedures for exchanging information and coordinating operations.

Finally, it cannot be said too often that after twenty-five years of war and oppression, the Afghan people are entering the twenty-first century with a tremendous sense of optimism and determination. They are building national institutions virtually from scratch, reconstructing their homes, businesses and local infrastructure, sending increasing numbers of their children, boys and girls, to school, and Afghan women are returning to professional life. While many challenges remain, the people of Afghanistan, the United States, NATO and the international community are steadily achieving their aim of preserving the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and winning the war on terrorism. Afghanistan is now one of the world's newest democracies and no longer a safe harbor for terrorists. Thank you for this opportunity to update you on our challenges and successes in Afghanistan and an important part of the Global War on Terrorism.

House Armed Services Committee
2120 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

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