On a surprise visit to Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter looked to lay out US military policy in the country for decades to come, despite the Obama Administration having only about a month left in office, vowing that US occupation forces will remain in the country on an “enduring” basis.
The US invaded and occupied Afghanistan in late 2001, and over 15 years later still has in the ballpark of 10,000 ground troops in the country. Carter insisted the US sees its goal of preventing another 9/11 requiring them to keep their troops in Afghanistan to ensure “stability” in the country.
The “stability” provided in the last 15+ years has been constant warfare, which has seen mounting losses in recent months, leaving the Taliban with more territory than at any time since the initial invasion, and which is also seeing a growing ISIS insurgency active in some parts of the country.
Carter’s comments on what will happen in the years to come were made in spite of President-elect Donald Trump not discussing his own policy intentions toward the endless occupation. Trump has, however, criticized the general US policy of nation-building.
Carter’s statement appears intended to lock the US in to the status quo for the Trump Administration, or at least to make it extremely inconvenient for him to chart a new course in the war. Other Obama Administration officials have similarly made pledges of “enduring” commitments elsewhere around the world, despite indications that the two administration have wildly different ideologies.
As a Korean War veteran, I find it beyond outrageous that a Secretary of Defense who never served one day in the US Armed Forces is doing everything possible to ensure that for the indefinite future, other Americans will be militarily occupying and dying in a nation which is in worse shape now than when we invaded it 15 years ago. I am no Trump supporter, but I hope that on this issue Trump will act upon his campaign promises and put a stop to the endless series of disastrous “regime change” activities which our Government (Democratic and Republican) has long been conducting throughout the world. In my view, there has not been a truly “just war” since WWII.
Very few presidents have made the same promises after being elected. Very proud of Trump for going back to states where hismpromises were made. And repeated his policy of no intervention, no regime change, no stupid wars. Promise of reestablishing peace and prosperity, foreign policy run in the interest of our country. He mentioned bases — and the need for withdrawal. Surely that is a quick way to save massive smounts of money. It is a good sign that Trump is ignoring think tanks determined to lecture him. He is going to prople. Not hoing to intelligence briefing — as he put it, he is smart and does not need to hear same things repeated in same words on daily basis. His appoitment of T-Rex is an amazing feat. Let us hope it happens. What will silly Congress to try putting down a CEO of EXXON-MOBIL, a person with business in over fifty countries. The “experience” in the existing fsiled policies is an obstacle not sn asset. It is time to put banks in their place by unleashing real producers not trying to curb them.
Certainly our neocons never intended to leave. They don’t in most places.
This is a problem that needs to be addressed in more than just Afghanistan. Bases are expensive. Hundreds of foreign bases are a drain on resources, even if individually they are not so expensive, and many of them are very expensive.
Occupying the world is expensive. It is not worth it to us.