Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told the administration he needs more troops there, without which the war “will likely result in failure.”
In a 66-page document sent to Defense Secretary Robert Gates Aug. 30 and obtained by the Washington Post, McChrystal warned that if the insurgency isn’t slowed in the next year, the U.S. “risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible.”
McChrystal has not yet sent his troop request to the Pentagon, but there have been reports that he’ll ask for 30,000 to 40,000 more.
President Obama said last week that he won’t make decisions about troop increases until he has “absolute clarity about what the strategy is gonna be.”
In his report, McChrystal agrees:
“Inadequate resources will likely result in failure. However, without a new strategy, the mission should not be resourced.”
