Washington: President Barack Obama’s choice to lead US and NATO forces in Afghanistan has been asked to carry out a review of military strategy and report his findings within two months, the Pentagon said on Monday.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal and the officer nominated to be his deputy, Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, to “get a ground-eye view of what’s going on, and report back what they believe to be the situation” in Afghanistan in 60 days, Pentagon press secretary Goeff Morrell told reporters.
McChrystal was nominated to replace the current commander General David McKiernan, who was sacked after Gates said he wanted “fresh thinking” in the Afghan war.
McChrystal must still be confirmed by the US Senate before taking up his post but he is widely expected to be approved.
The defense secretary wants the new commander to look at possible changes to military strategy as well as assess the level of US forces, which will rise to about 68,000 later in the year, Morrell told a news conference.
The review will look at “what changes in the strategy should be made, and particularly from a personnel standpoint, from a manpower standpoint, trying to determine the needs and what can be done to try to consolidate and get the most we can from the resources we have on the ground,” he said.
About 56,000 US troops are now in Afghanistan, along with about 33,000 troops from other countries, according to the Pentagon.
Obama approved an additional 21,000 troops for the US force and thousands of soldiers and marines are now deploying — mainly to the volatile south.
“It’s a rapidly growing operation, and the secretary wants to make sure that everybody is being utilized effectively,” Morrell said.
The outgoing commander in Afghanistan had asked for another 10,000 troops in 2010, but McChrystal has yet to say if he will renew that request.
Morrell said that the 60-day review did not rule out the possibility that McChrystal might make changes to the strategy soon after he arrives.
