Gen. David Petraeus could be successful in Afghanistan if he followed a strategy similar to the one used in Iraq, according to Center for a New American Security President John A. Nagl. In a recent column in Wall Street Journal, Nagl wrote how “a war not going well is not yet lost,” and Petraeus could [...]
President Obama has named David Petreaus as Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s replacement as Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. After McChrystal’s position was compromised due to a controversial article in Rolling Stone, President Obama held a private meeting with the general and gave his final verdict. Central Command Chief Gen. David Petraeus will replace McChrystal as [...]
Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy and Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. David Patraeus remained confident in their assertion of military progress in Afghanistan, despite an onset of doubt from Senate members during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. During the hearing, chairman Carl Levin and Sen. John McCain presented their perspectives on the direction [...]
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy told the House Armed Services committee yesterday that she is “cautiously optimistic” about success for coalition forces in Afghanistan. “The evidence suggests that our shift in approach is beginning to produce results,” she testified. “The insurgency is losing momentum. And though real challenges and risks remain, we see [...]
As of December ’09, DoD estimates that over 207,000 contractor personnel are directly supporting operations in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, and DoD expects to increase the number of contractors in Afghanistan as more troops deploy there. However, a recent GAO report suggests that DoD isn’t doing enough to support and oversee contractor personnel. Here [...]
Wartime contracting has faced more than its share of criticism lately. Just last month, the Commission on Wartime Contracting released its interim report, which offered this bleak assessment: Since 2001, America’s reliance on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan has reached “unprecedented proportions.” But where some defense contractors might want to switch the subject, Suzan Zimmerman [...]
The recent release of the defense budget for 2010 makes one thing clear: With $61 billion requested for Iraq (versus $65 billion for Afghanistan), a shift in US priorities is underway. As the Obama administration looks to new challenges in Afghanistan and secondly, Pakistan, ExecutiveBiz recently caught up with Mary Beth Long, former assistant secretary [...]
