DoD setting troop levels in Afghanistan enables agility, Mattis says

By DoD News, Defense Media ActivityJune 16, 2017

DoD setting troop levels in Afghanistan enables agility, Mattis says
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis speaks with Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) David L. Norquist before a budget hearing with the House Appropriations defense subcommittee at Rayburn House Office Building, June 15, 2017 in Washington D.C. The h... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
DoD setting troop levels in Afghanistan enables agility, Mattis says
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis speaks with Rep. Ken Calvert, House Appropriations Defense subcommittee Vice Chair, before a budget hearing with the House Appropriations defense subcommittee at Rayburn House Office Building, June 15, 2017 in Washingt... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that President Donald J. Trump's directive for the Defense Department to set troop levels in Afghanistan will enable the U.S. military to have greater agility to conduct operations, recognizing that the military posture there is part of a broader regional context.

"Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the U.S. military and our many allies and partners, horrors on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001, have not been repeated on our shores," Mattis said in a written statement released on Wednesday.

"However," he continued, "the danger continues to evolve, and that danger requires a commitment to defeat terrorist organizations that threaten the United States, other nations and the people of Afghanistan."

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has established a branch in Afghanistan, al-Qaida and other terrorist groups remain active inside Afghanistan, and the Taliban continues to pose a challenge to the democratically-elected government there, the secretary noted.

"This administration will not repeat the mistakes of the past," he said. "We cannot allow Afghanistan to once again become a launching point for attacks on our homeland or on our allies."

PROVIDING THE ABILITY TO WIN

The U.S. and partner nations have made progress in weakening these groups, Mattis said, but their ultimate defeat will come about "only by giving our men and women on the ground the support and the authorities they need to win."

The secretary said that the delegation of authority for setting troop levels does not in itself change the force levels for Afghanistan. Rather, he explained, it ensures that the Defense Department can facilitate its missions and align its commitment to the rapidly evolving security situation, giving troops greater latitude to provide air power and other vital support.

"Our core mission will remain the same: to train, advise and assist Afghan forces," he said. "We are there to help defeat a common enemy and ensure Afghan forces can safeguard the future of their country."

The decision is part of a broader developing strategy that addresses the U.S. role in Afghanistan and beyond, Mattis said. "We will present this to the president in the coming weeks," he added. "We will continue to work with our allies, and we will ask more of them. Working with the Afghan government and our allies and partners, we will achieve victory against the terrorists abroad, protect our borders at home, and keep America safe."

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