Stanley McChrystal

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US Redeploys to Afghan Cities, Leaves Rural Areas to Taliban

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal has ordered a major shift in US troop deployment in Afghanistan, telling his commanders to pull out of the sparsely populated, Taliban-controlled areas and focus instead on protecting population centers, the Washington Post reports. US officials say they’ve realized that they’re not going to wrest...

Obama Rethinks Afghan War
 Obama Rethinks Afghan War 
Sep 21, 2009 11:57 AM CDT

Obama Rethinks Afghan War

As President mulls change of tack, military wishes he'd mull a bit faster

(Newser) - With Gen. Stanley McChrystal's assessment in hand, President Obama is conducting a "very, very serious review of all options" in Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports. The president, once confident in the plan to boost counterinsurgency efforts, now faces a game changed by last month's botched Afghan elections and eroding...

McChrystal: US 'Will Fail' Without More Afghan Troops

Blunt warnings bared in secret Pentagon report

(Newser) - Afghanistan's top commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal made a blunt request for more troops in a confidential report to the Pentagon last month, warning that without more forces the war "will likely result in failure." The 66-page report, obtained by Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, contains repeated...

CIA Sending More Spies to Afghanistan

Covert effort aimed at stemming resurgence of Taliban

(Newser) - The CIA is upping its deployment of personnel in Afghanistan to combat a widespread resurgence of Taliban forces, reports the Los Angeles Times. The new spies, analysts, and paramilitary operatives will team up with special forces squads as part of an intelligence surge likely to rival the agency's numbers in...

Joint Chiefs Chair: Afghan War Needs More Troops

(Newser) - The drumbeat for more US troops in Afghanistan goes on: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told senators today that a "properly resourced counter-insurgency probably means more forces." Adm. Mike Mullen said he hasn't yet received a formal request from Gen. Stanley McChrystal but expects one...

US to Beef Up Afghanistan Combat Force

Up to 14K fighters swap places with noncombatant troops

(Newser) - The Pentagon will add up to 14,000 combat troops to its Afghanistan force, replacing noncombatant support units with more "trigger-pullers" as casualties continue to climb. With support for the war waning, the Defense Department's "force optimization" plan will not increase the number of US troops, and...

Kristol: George Will Is Wrong on Afghanistan

(Newser) - George Will’s call today to pull US troops out of Afghanistan is tantamount to “urging retreat and accepting defeat,” fellow conservative William Kristol blogs in the Washington Post. Will’s idea to focus mostly on offshore operations and airstrikes "doesn't sound much more engaged than US...

Afghan Report Pressures Prez for More Troops

Where military sees inadequate resources, Dem base sees hopeless mire

(Newser) - As he heads to Camp David tomorrow, with General Stanley McChrystal's assessment of the situation in Afghanistan under his arm, President Obama faces a political minefield. The grim report lays the groundwork for deploying more troops to Afghanistan, the New York Times reports, adding pressure on the president, who must...

McChrystal: US Is Failing in Afghanistan

General wants more Taliban engagement, warns of losing citizens' support

(Newser) - The US military's strategy in Afghanistan is failing, Gen. Stanley McChrystal will tell commanders in Washington today. A copy of the US commander's remarks leaked to the BBC compares the military to a bull charging at a matador—losing strength with each individual cut. McChrystal's report says Afghans are suffering...

Mullen: Afghan Security 'Serious,' 'Disintegrating'

Arizona sen. says he warned Qaddafi and that Senate feels Kennedy's absence

(Newser) - The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs today acknowledged waning public support for the war in Afghanistan, but cautioned that the threat of extremist takeover is real, reports Politico. The security situation is "pretty bad right now and getting worse," Adm. Mike Mullen told NBC's Meet the Press. With...

US Commander: Taliban Winning Afghan War

McChrystal makes protecting civilians his first priority

(Newser) - The Taliban are winning the war in Afghanistan and the US must quickly change course, warns Stanley McChrystal, the general now commanding American forces in the country. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, McChrystal says he wants more troops in big, dangerous cities like Kandahar as part of...

Military Seeks Much Bigger Boost for Afghan Forces

(Newser) - America's new top commander in Afghanistan believes the country's security forces will need a much bigger upgrade than planned if President Obama's strategy is going to work, officials tell the Washington Post. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, still doing a 60-day assessment, is said to have concluded that the expansion of Afghan...

A Frosty Merkel Arrives in DC
 A Frosty Merkel Arrives in DC 
Jun 25, 2009 7:40 AM CDT

A Frosty Merkel Arrives in DC

Economy, Afghanistan cloud chancellor's talks with Obama

(Newser) - Angela Merkel arrives in Washington today for a two-day visit, where the German chancellor will hold talks with President Obama before a rare joint press conference in the Rose Garden. Yet despite the smiles, the two leaders have a strained if not frosty relationship, with both sides carping about economic...

US to Cut Down on Afghan Airstrikes

(Newser) - The US military is tightening its rules regarding airstrikes in Afghanistan, in the face of mounting civilian casualties, the New York Times reports. Airstrikes will now be used mostly to prevent coalition forces from being overrun, new Afghan commander Stanley McChrystal announced. “Air power contains the seeds of our...

New US Afghanistan Chief: Convince, Don't Kill

Sketches strategy to mix troops with population

(Newser) - The new US commander in Afghanistan says his experiences there and in Iraq have changed his perspective on an effective counterinsurgency: “You're going to have to convince people, not kill them,” Gen. Stanley McChrystal tells the Wall Street Journal. “Since 9/11, I have watched as America tried...

Military's New Afghanistan Chief Gets Free Rein

Allowed to choose own team as Obama prioritizes effort

(Newser) - With Afghanistan a priority for the administration, officials have given the new US commander there free rein to select his team, the New York Times reports. Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s job “is that important. Afghanistan is the main effort right now,” said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs....

McChrystal Call Shows Obama's Long Game: Sullivan

(Newser) - With liberals and anti-war activists growing increasingly restive over recent Obama decisions, Andrew Sullivan takes a hard look at the choice of Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal—a man with links to prisoner abuse, Camp Nama, and the Tillman debacle—to lead the war in Afghanistan. It looks like the latest...

New Afghanistan Commander Is Warrior-Scholar

Workaholic McChrystal has shadowy past, links to spy agencies

(Newser) - Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the designated new American commander in Afghanistan, has a reputation for hard work and self-denial: He sleeps for just a few hours and eats only one meal a day. Colleagues describe McChrystal, the current director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as an ideal combination of...

Tillman Parents No Fans of New Afghan General

Blame McChrystal for covering up NFL star's death; call for vetting

(Newser) - Pat Tillman's parents say Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal helped cover up the circumstances of their son's death and they want his record carefully considered before he takes charge of the Afghan war, the AP reports. McChrystal approved a citation for Tillman stating he was killed "in the line of...

Sacked Commander Wrong for New Afghan Strategy

McKiernan's approach in Afghanistan too 'conventional,' officials say

(Newser) - David McKiernan was dumped as top American commander in Afghanistan yesterday, after less than a year, because his approach was too “conventional,” Pentagon officials tell the New York Times. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said “fresh eyes were needed” and “a new approach was probably in our...

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