By Julianne LaJeunesse – University of New Mexico

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) spoke Tuesday about American international policies in a conference hosted by the Foreign Policy Initiative, an organization that rejects U.S. policies “that would lead us down the path of isolation.”

During a speech entitled, “Advancing and Defending Democracy,” McCain said that President Obama is admirable for keeping his composure during intensifying U.S. international commitments, but added that he disagreed with the President’s recent decision to scrap its plans for a European missile defense shield. Said McCain, America should maintain loyalties to people and plans.

When asked by moderator and Foreign Policy Initiative Founder Bob Kagan about the time it’s taking to implement a military plan in Afghanistan, McCain said the longer it takes to get troops there, the more strapped the plan becomes.

“You make a decision to do something, for example, to deploy troops… it takes a period of time before you get them over there,” McCain said. “It’s not a matter of just putting them on a plane and flying them over. There’s all of the equipment, all of the preparations, all of the things necessary for deployment of troops. So even if the President made the decision tomorrow, there would be a period of time where we still don’t have sufficient troops to do what’s necessary there.”

McCain said troops in Afghanistan are necessary because “at least some of Americans may have forgotten that it was Afghanistan where Al Qaeda really received the training in order to orchestrate the attacks on United States of America on 9/11.”

The senator said that America’s sympathy for troop deployment in Aghanistan is waning and that Obama may have to follow previous leaders who have “gone against the majority of public opinion, either in their party or the country, because they were in times of crisis and they knew that they had to take certain actions.”

McCain also commented on the Obama administration’s recent system technology change from a planned “antiballistic missile shield” to a smaller SM-3 interceptor system in the Czech Republic and Poland, which he said was “technically correct,” but added that “the handling of this issue is very harmful.”

By Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) called Friday for a significant increase in the size of Afghanistan’s security forces.

“We need a surge of Afghan security forces, we have not done enough to put that into motion,” Levin said during a press conference.

Levin stated he would like to see least 240,000 Afghan security forces on the ground by 2012.

According to Levin, a series of steps to help the Afghan security forces will be made to ensure that sufficient man power, equipment and support will be there to help the Afghan forces with their efforts.

Levin added that the immediate goal in Afghanistan should be to reduce the American presence in the country.

Levin set out three major goals in regard to Afghan forces: Putting more trainers on the ground, a major effort to transfer equipment and supplies from Iraq to the Afghanistan army and police, and a concerted effort to separate the local Taliban from their leaders.

“If this plan can be put into place by reintegrating Taliban forces we can turn this thing around”, said Levin.

Levin commented on the halted nomination process for Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) to be appointed as Secretary Of The Army by President Obama, stating that there were discussions within the administration. Levin said he was hopeful there would be a vote by next week.

When asked about the apparent lack of police coordination surrounding reports made from news organizations that misinterpreted a Friday morning coast guard training exercise, Levin remarked “I’m surprised … That kind of coordination should exist”.

During a press briefing at the Pentagon, spokesman Geoff Morell said that while the U.S. is committed to bringing more troops to the war in Afghanistan the nubmer of combat brigades will most likely be a question for the next administration. (0:54)

 

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Embedded Military Affairs Correspondent Richard Miller interviews two American officers, Lt. Col. Mark Sherman and Lt. Col. Lynn Heng, responsible for the training of the Afghan police force. (6:20)

 

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Tail gunner’s view of flying through Afghanistan

Taliban flags on the Pakistan side of the border with Afghanistan

Afghan Border Security frisking entrant from Pakistan

See more photos while Richard is embedded in Afghanistan on our Flickr page!

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell says that unless Congress acts to pass the $108 billion FY2008 global war on terror supplemental legislations the Army payroll account will run out and soldiers could go without pay. (0:20)

 

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Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell tells reporters the cost of the war on terror in dollars and lives lost. (1:07)

 

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