If Top General Gets His Way, America's "Longest War" Will Become Even Longer

General John Campbell Says He Wants to Keep U.S. Troops in Afghanistan for as long as possible—and is considering asking for even more

Published on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 by Common Dreams

Written by Sarah Lazare

General John F. Campbell pictured in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, May 23, 2015. (Photo: Allauddin Khan/AP)

If the highest ranking U.S. and NATO military commander in Afghanistan gets his way, America's longest official war could become even more protracted.

Army General John Campbell said in a USA Today article published on Tuesday that he wants to keep the 9,800 American troops currently in Afghanistan there for as long as possible—and is considering asking for even more boots on the ground.

"My intent would be to keep as much as I could for as long as I could," Campbell told the paper from Kabul.

The general's comments follow President Barack Obama's October announcement that he plans to reverse his prior pledge to remove all but 1,000 U.S. troops from the country by the conclusion of 2016. Instead, Obama proclaimed that the 9,800 troops will be maintained through most of 2016 and then cut to 5,500 by the beginning of 2017.

Even then, Obama's statement came despite the official declaration a year ago that the war was "over."

But now Campbell plans to ask the president to put off troop withdrawals even further by delaying the reduction to 5,500 troops.

"If I don't believe that we can accomplish the train, advise and assist... the (counter-terrorism) missions, then I owe it to the senior leadership to come back and say, 'Here's what I need,'" Campbell said. "If that's more people, it's more people."

The general expressed confidence that he will get his way. "My job as commander on the ground is to continually make assessments," Campbell said. "Every time I've gone to the president and said, 'I need X,' I've been very, very fortunate that he’s provided that. So he’s been very flexible."

Campbell's comments come as the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan stretches well into its 15th year—and appears certain to extend into the next presidency. While many argue that the Afghanistan intervention is not, in reality, the longest war in U.S. history, it is widely recognized as the most protracted according to the official record.

What's more, the Bilateral Security Agreement signed in 2014 by the U.S. and Afghanistan locks in another decade of heavy American involvement in the country, including the training, funding, and arming of the Afghan military. The pact also secures immunity for U.S. service members under Afghan law—a highly controversial measure in a country that has suffered civilian massacres by U.S. troops.

The U.S. is planning a military role long into Afghanistan's future despite indications that its long-term intervention and occupation so far has worsened conflict and violence, with the Taliban now showing signs of increased strength.

Meanwhile, Afghan civilians continue to pay the greatest price. In the first half of 2015 alone, United Nations agencies documented 4,921 civilian casualties (1,592 deaths and 3,329 injured).

Noda Urged To Act on Futenma, Guam Agreement

FRIDAY, 09 SEPTEMBER 2011 02:57 BY JANELA BUHAIN | VARIETY NEWS STAFF

IF NEW Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda does not advocate for the implementation of the 2006 bilateral agreement with the U.S., the military buildup on Guam could cease to transpire, research analysts recently reported.

A research report written Aug. 30 by Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia, and Dr. Derek Scissors, research fellow in Asia economic policy in the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation, states that Noda must not ignore Japan’s pressing security issues in light of China’s growing assertiveness.

Instead, Noda must bolster his relations with the U.S. and emphasize his position on national security if a military buildup on Guam is to pull through, the analysts said.

“Noda should move behind mere words of support to actually making progress toward building the Futenma Replacement Facility (FRF) in Okinawa,” the two wrote. “Failure to do so would make proposed U.S. Senate funding cuts to required construction on Guam more likely, thus jeopardizing the entire Guam agreement.”

Several U.S. senators have proposed to reduce military spending overseas, including Guam. One senator proposed to ax the entire Guam military buildup. In his “Back in Black” proposal, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, said the 8,000 marines and their 9,000 dependents could be maintained in the U.S. mainland instead of on Guam.

“Washington should press Tokyo to fully implement the Guam agreement. The U.S. should emphasize that redeployment of 8,000 marines to Guam and return of U.S. bases to local control is dependent on the construction of a replacement airfield on Okinawa,” the analysts maintained.

Klingner and Scissors acknowledged that Noda faces a daunting task of reforming the Japan government following the downfall of former Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

The two criticized Kan for his inability to overcome partisan bickering between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan, and for losing his grip on a country torn apart by multiple natural disasters.

The analysts said Noda must move the tsunami-ravaged country toward living within its means, and identify necessary spending cuts. But, they said, he must make good on Japan’s long-term obligations.

“Noda must emphasize to Okinawa that Japanese national security and Asian peace and stability must trump local convenience. Tokyo should make clear that Japanese expenditures for Okinawan development (which are up for renewal) are conditional on FRF relocation. Non-compliance by Okinawa could result in reductions in Japanese subsidies,” they wrote.