July Afghan Drawdown Plan ‘Not Ready’ Mullen Insists

Officials Still Waiting on Petraeus Recommendation

The Obama Administration is still taking about the July drawdown as though it is going to be something real and substantial. That might be progress, but one thing is missing, and that is a plan to actually do so.

And according to Admiral Michael Mullen, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, there is no plan right now. Indeed, despite administration officials’ talk of such a move, Mullen says Gen. David Petraeus hasn’t even submitted a plan yet.

The process is intended to be Petraeus submitting a plan to President Obama, and the president getting opinions from assorted officials. Then, at some point down the road, the decision gets made. Only with just one month left, this process hasn’t even begun.

Mullen is already downplaying the chance of a major drawdown, saying it can’t erode the “gains” officials are constantly talking about. As each day ticks by, however, it remains less and less clear if any drawdown at all is going to happen.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.