What We Are Doing in Afghanistan This Year?

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter speaks with U.S. Army Gen. John F. Campbell on Forward Operating Base Fenty in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Dec. 18, 2015. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tony Coronado

Maj. Gen. Eric T. Olson, War On The Rocks: Do We Know What We Are Doing in Afghanistan This Year?

As the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan mission drew to a close in December 2014, President Obama said:

For more than 13 years, ever since nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken from us on 9/11, our nation has been at war in Afghanistan. Now, thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, and the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion.

More than a year later, in President Obama’s final State of the Union address, concerning the progress of the mission in Afghanistan, he said … nothing.

This is disappointing, but not surprising. The Obama administration often prefers to leave open difficult questions about U.S. failures to meet its goals. This leads to inconsistencies between White House messaging about the campaign and realities on the ground.

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WNU Editor: A sobering assessment on what is current U.S. policy when it comes to Afghanistan. Bottom line .... as much as President Obama may want to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the facts on the ground are indicating otehrwise.