Jim Garamone at the DoD News
offers the below piece:
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2017 —
President Donald J. Trump unveiled an expansive new strategy for South Asia
aimed at bolstering American security.
The new strategy encompasses
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the Central Asian nations and extends into
Southeast Asia. He stressed the strategy will not have artificial timelines
built into it.
Trump spoke before a crowd of
hundreds of service members at Conmy Hall at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in
Virginia.
Trump said the American
people are frustrated by the nation’s longest war in Afghanistan, calling it a
war without victory. The new strategy, he said, is a path toward victory and
will step away from a policy of nation building.
The new strategy, Trump said,
is a result of a study he ordered immediately after he was inaugurated in
January. The strategy is based on three precepts.
“First, our nation must seek
an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have
been made, especially the sacrifices of lives,” Trump said. “The men and women
who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the
tools they need and the trust they have earned to fight and to win.”
No Hasty Exit
Trump said the second precept
is that a hasty exit from Afghanistan would simply allow terrorists to flood
back into that country and begin planning attacks on America and its allies and
partners.
The third precept, he said,
concerns the threats emanating from the region, which are immense and must be
confronted.
“Today, 20 U.S-designated
foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the
highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world,” the president said.
“For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and
terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed
states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could
happen.”
The United States and its
allies and partners are committed to defeating these terrorist groups, Trump
said.
“Terrorists who slaughter
innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next,” he said. “They
are nothing but thugs and criminals and predators and -- that's right --
losers.”
Trump added, “Working
alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep
them from crossing our borders, and, yes, we will defeat them, and we will
defeat them handily.”
In Afghanistan and Pakistan,
the United States will work to stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable
terrorists to threaten America, Trump said.
“And we must prevent nuclear
weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used
against us, or anywhere in the world, for that matter,” he said.
Conditions-Based Strategy
Trump emphasized the strategy
will be conditions based and not set to a timetable. “I've said it many times
how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the
dates we intend to begin or end military options,” the president said. “We will
not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.
Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy
from now on. America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can
wait us out.”
Trump said the new strategy
will involve all aspects of American power, employing diplomacy, economic
might, intelligence and military power to advance American interests and ensure
the safety of the homeland and American allies and partners.
The United States, he added,
will continue to support the Afghan government and its military.
“Ultimately, it is up to the
people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their
society and to achieve an everlasting peace,” Trump said. “We are a partner and
a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live or how to
govern their own complex society. We are not nation building again. We are
killing terrorists.”
Trump said Pakistan is a
major concern, and he said Pakistan must stop providing safe havens for
terrorists who rest and refit for actions in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
“Pakistan has much to gain
from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan,” the president said. “It has
much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.”
Pakistan Must Change
Trump noted that Pakistan has
worked with the United States in the past, but the nation’s policies must
change.
“No partnership can survive a
country's harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. service members
and officials,” Trump said. “It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its
commitment to civilization, order and to peace.”
Trump said India will be a
key component in any strategy in the region, and the president wants to work
with India’s leaders to provide more economic assistance and targeted
development to the people of Afghanistan.
“We are committed to pursuing
our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader
Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
The president pledged that
service members will have the rules of engagement they need to take swift,
decisive actions. “I have already lifted restrictions the previous
administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the secretary of
defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle
against the enemy,” he said. “Micromanagement from Washington, D.C., does not
win battles. They're won in the field, drawing upon the judgment and expertise
of wartime commanders, and front-line soldiers, acting in real time with real
authority, and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy.”
‘Victory Will Have a Clear
Definition’
The president described what
he believes victory will look like. “From now on, victory will have a clear
definition: Attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaida,
preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks
against America before they emerge,” he said.
NATO allies and global
partners like Australia will support the new strategy and have already pledged
additional troops and funding increases, the president said.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis
said he has directed Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, to prepare to carry out the president’s strategy. “I will be
in consultation with the secretary general of NATO and our allies -- several of
which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers,” Mattis said in a
written statement. “Together, we will assist the Afghan security forces to
destroy the terrorist hub.”
The president concluded his
speech speaking directly to service members in the hall and around the world.
