Recent Feingold letter on Afghanistan

Dear Mr. Schaefer,



Thank you for contacting me regarding Afghanistan and the recent operations in the district of Marjah. I strongly support our men and women in the military serving in Afghanistan and I am deeply grateful for their service and their sacrifice.



Eight years ago, I voted in favor of the authorization to use military force against those who planned and carried out the horrific terrorist attacks on our nation on September 11, 2001. Unfortunately, our military involvement in Iraq distracted us from our mission in Afghanistan and the global threat posed by al Qaeda, and the situation in the region has deteriorated in recent years.



While President Obama appreciates the global threat posed by al Qaeda and the importance of addressing its current safe haven in Pakistan, I am concerned that sending more troops to Afghanistan at this point may not help, and could even undermine, our efforts to address that threat. I appreciate General McChrystal's focus on protecting the Afghan population, but continuing to send more troops to Afghanistan could inflame civilian resentment and provoke militancy in the region without significantly contributing to stability. And it could further destabilize Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country where al Qaeda has a safe haven.



After eight years of war in Afghanistan, we need to acknowledge the serious risks of continuing our massive, open-ended military commitment in that country, and instead pursue a comprehensive, sustainable strategy to combat al Qaeda's global network. That is why on April 14, 2010, I introduced S. 3197, a bill that would require President Obama to establish a flexible timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Such a strategy would bolster our national security by undercutting the perception of the U.S. as an occupying force in the region, while at the same time removing a tremendous strain on our troops and our economy.



I have attached my statement for the record regarding this legislation and an op-ed on the need for a comprehensive national security strategy. For additional information on this issue, you can find video recordings of Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings at http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/, and I encourage you to visit my website for a more detailed account of my work on Afghanistan and Pakistan at http://www.feingold.senate.gov/afghanistanpakistan.html



Thank you again for contacting me. If you would like to discuss your comments further, please contact Brian Chelcun in my Washington, D.C., office at (202) 224-5323. For more information about my work on behalf of Wisconsin, you can subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter by visiting http://feingold.senate.gov/newsletter.cfm. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.