Afghan Forces To Have Their Budgets Slashed

COMMANDER'S VISIT
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, visited military and civilian personnel assigned to Regional Command East in Nangarhar province, Sept. 5, 2011. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael O'Connor

Pentagon To Drastically Cut Spending On Afghan Forces -- L.A. Times

Under pressure from the White House for steep reductions, the Pentagon agrees to a no-frills approach for Afghanistan's army and police. Expenditures will be cut by more than half by 2014.

Reporting from Washington — The Pentagon is planning to slash U.S. assistance to Afghanistan's army and police by more than half over the next three years, settling for a no-frills Afghan security force to battle the Taliban-led insurgency after American forces pull out.

Training and equipping Afghans to take over security has been key to the Obama administration strategy to withdraw all U.S. combat troops by the end of 2014. But the White House increasingly views high spending on the beleaguered Afghan military as unsustainable and has pressured the Pentagon for steeper cuts than previously planned.

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My Comment: Another sign that some in Washington are now "giving-up" on Afghanistan. After spending billions of dollars, Afghanistan's security forces are still weak and ineffective to stop the Taliban .... will billions more make a difference .... some are now realizing that the answer is no.