Issue Position: Providing Our Servicemembers with a Worthy Strategy

Issue Position

Issue Position: Providing Our Servicemembers with a Worthy Strategy

Providing Our Servicemembers with a Worthy Strategy
Since 9/11, our military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have had enormous demands placed on them. They have done everything they have been asked to do and more, and I couldn't be more proud of their brave and honorable service. I am working hard to ensure that our servicemembers are provided with a strategy that is worthy of their hard work and sacrifice, and will enable them to succeed in their mission.

I have made numerous trips to Iraq and Afghanistan to meet with military officials and visit with our troops. On these trips, I was proud to witness the extraordinary skill, professionalism, and dedication of the men and women in uniform I met there, from Rhode Island and across the country.

The Bush Administration's decision to engage militarily in Iraq, a nation the intelligence community agrees had no relationship with al Qaeda prior to the start of the war, was profoundly misguided. It has strained the capacity of our military and placed extreme pressures on our servicemembers and their families. It has also distracted our military, diplomats, and public from genuine terrorist threats, such as those lurking in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere in the world.

While President Bush was in office, I voted at every opportunity to bring pressure to bear for a change of course. I cosponsored legislation to begin bringing our troops home safely and responsibly, and to end virtually all funding for the war within nine months of enactment. President Obama's decision to draw down U.S. combat forces in Iraq and refocus our efforts on Afghanistan is an encouraging step in the right direction. I am confident that under his plan for withdrawal, we will safely hand over responsibility for Iraq's security to the Iraqis, finally ending this ill-conceived war.

As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I have been closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan. We are virtually certain to have some presence there for some time, and one must bear in mind the impact Afghanistan has on regional stability, particularly with respect to Pakistan, a country with nuclear weapons. I have seen firsthand the situation on the ground and have heard from General McChrystal and U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry about the progress of U.S. military operations in the region. I was very impressed by the high levels of troop morale and our service members' confidence in our mission and in the outcome of operations against the Taliban.

Important and difficult challenges lie ahead, and I look forward to working with the Obama Administration to ensure that we pursue a smart approach to the situation in Afghanistan. I firmly believe that we can succeed if our efforts inspire confidence among Afghans that we are committed to helping them fight the Taliban, and that their own government is stable enough to meet their needs.

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