Pentagon chief telegraphs continued Afghan presence

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday became the latest administration official to signal changes to President Obama’s plan to draw down the 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to just 1,000 at the embassy in Kabul. 

During a speech at the annual Association of the United States Army conference, Carter said the U.S. is taking three actions to build on U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan. 

{mosads}The first, he said, was the president’s decision to slow the pace of the drawdown earlier this year. 

Second, he said, is to “formulate options for 2016 and beyond and make adjustments to the planned U.S. presence based on current circumstances.” 

“It’s not a question of whether, but how to continue the mission in Afghanistan — and last week it became clear that our NATO allies feel the same way, as many of my counterparts made a point of reaffirming their commitment,” he said. 

Carter last week visited with NATO allies and asked them to keep flexible their force posture in Afghanistan — which is based heavily on the U.S. troop presence.

Third, Carter said he would include in his 2017 defense budget submission to the White House “critical financial support” to the Afghan security forces to help it maintain its numbers of 352,000 in 2017 and beyond.

Carter also praised Afghan forces as “very capable fighters” who have performed admirably under tough circumstances. 

“That said, Taliban advances in parts of the country underscore the reality that this is a difficult fight,” he said. 

Taliban forces overran the city of Kunduz last month, but Afghan forces have managed to take back the city in recent days, with the assistance of U.S. advisers on the ground.  

The seizure of the strategic provincial capital, however, underscored the Taliban’s strength even 14 years after the U.S.-led war began in 2001. The New York Times reported Monday that the Taliban was the strongest its been since 2001. 

Within the past year, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has also gained a foothold in the country, by recruiting disaffected members of the Taliban and foreign fighters.  

Administration officials have recently been hinting at leaving a U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan after 2016. 

Anonymous senior administration officials told The Times Wednesday that President Obama appears increasingly willing to keep a force there that is at least large enough to continue its counterterrorism efforts.

Last week, Army Gen. John Campbell, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told lawmakers that no such counterterrorism force structure exists at 1,000 troops. 

Campbell has prepared five options for the president — who is reportedly seriously considering a proposal submitted this summer by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey — to keep up to 5,000 troops for the mission.