Gen. McChrystal Calls for Yet Another ‘New Strategy’ in Afghanistan

'The Situation in Afghanistan Is Serious,' Top Commander Admits

by Jason Ditz, August 31, 2009

As the page closed on August, the deadliest month yet for US soldiers in Afghanistan, top US commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal admitted that the current strategy, which was itself a new strategy presented only five months ago to replace the previous new strategy, isn’t working at that yet another new strategy is needed.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal
Likening the US military to “a bull charging at a matador and getting weaker with each cut,” the general says the new strategy will require preparing the massive but poorly trained Afghan army to take the lead, while conceding that it wouldn’t be ready for another three years at minimum.

Gen. McChrystal insisted that “the situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable.” His new report is expected to request another 20,000 troops for the war, on top of President Obama’s already planned escalation.

Once again, the change in strategy appears to offer little in the way of new tactics on the ground but is merely another plan to throw an increasing number of US troops and funding at the nation in the hopes that things will work out in a few years.

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