President Obama declared a turning point in the war in Afghanistan Wednesday, saying the U.S. will begin bringing home its troops — starting with roughly 33,000 by the end of next summer — so Americans can “focus on nation building here at home.” “Over the last decade, we have spent $1 trillion on war, at a time of rising debt and hard economic times,” Obama said from the White House in an address to the nation. “Now, we must invest in America’s greatest resource — our people.”
Obama will bring 10,000 U.S. troops home over the next five months and withdraw another 23,000 by next summer, he said.
The yearlong drawdown would bring home the 30,000 additional troops Obama ordered to Afghanistan in late 2009 as part of a “surge” that bolstered the U.S. presence there. About 68,000 troops would remain in Afghanistan after September 2012.
“After this initial reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan Security forces move into the lead,” he said. “Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2012, this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security.”
Pentagon officials and some lawmakers on Capitol Hill have advocated for a much more gradual drawdown that would bring home no more than 5,000 troops by the end of this year. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a leading voice in Congress on military matters who favors a slower withdrawal, called Obama’s plan an “unnecessary risk.”
But Obama assured Americans that the U.S. has achieved many of its goals in a decade-long war in the country from which the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were launched. His plan, the president said, would not disrupt that momentum.
“We are starting this drawdown from a position of strength,” he said, citing gains the U.S. military has made in the region and giving particular emphasis to the death of Osama bin Laden. “We have put al Qaeda on a path to defeat.”
Obama laid out a framework for future military action abroad closely modeled on the current NATO-led mission in Libya and far more modest than the all-out invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Some would have America retreat from our responsibility as an anchor of global security, and embrace an isolation that ignores the very real threats that we face,” Obama said. “Others would have America over-extend ourselves, confronting every evil that can be found abroad. We must chart a more centered course.”
The U.S. must respond to any direct threat with a targeted attack, as opposed to “deploying large armies overseas,” he said. When faced with humanitarian conflicts, such as in Libya, the U.S. should rally international action, he said.
“We don’t have to choose between standing idly by or acting on our own,” he said, echoing his most recent speech on the Libyan conflict.
Pivoting to Americans’ more immediate concerns — the stagnant economy and persistent joblessness — Obama promised that drawing down forces in Afghanistan would free up money that could be used to create jobs at home.
“Now, we must invest in America’s greatest resource — our people,” he said. “Let us responsibly end these wars, and reclaim the American Dream that is at the center of our story.”
