Reed backs Obama on Afghanistan strategy review

By RAY HENRY
Associated Press Writer
Published: October 22, 2009

PROVIDENCE—A Democratic adviser on national defense is supporting President Barack Obama’s decision to review U.S. strategy in Afghanistan before committing additional troops.

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed said Thursday that former Vice President Dick Cheney was wrong Wednesday to accuse Obama of “dithering” over the U.S. approach in Afghanistan.

The U.S. commander there, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has reportedly asked for as many as 40,000 additional troops to combat the Taliban insurgency and al-Qaida fighters.

Reed, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said the situation is more complex than just sending more soldiers. He said success requires the right combination of troops, civilian support, international assistance and work to build up the Afghan government.

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Flag Comment Posted by Chesapeake on October 22, 2009 at 9:46 pm

This is a most heartbreaking story.

General McChrystal has had difficulties under his command but here are some fast facts about the man.

Graduated from West Point in 1976 and began training at the Special Forces School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, two years later.

• Moved to South Korea in 1981 to work for the U.N. Command Support Group.
During the Persian Gulf War, served as an Army briefer and commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment in Saudi Arabia.

• Completed yearlong fellowships at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1998 and in 2000 at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City, where he reportedly ran 12 miles every day from his Brooklyn home to his Manhattan office.

• In 2001, was appointed chief of staff of military operations in Afghanistan. Two years later, he was selected to deliver nationally televised Pentagon briefings about military operations in Iraq.

From 2003 to 2008, led the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which oversees the military’s most sensitive forces, including the Army’s Delta Force. McChrystal’s leadership is credited with the December 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein.

The reason why McChrystal is asking for more troops…we are loosing.

Our young men and women..out numbered weary, but strong in there conviction and love of this country continue on.

Senator Jack Reed
After graduating from West Point and receiving an active duty commission in the United States Army, Reed attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he received a Masters of Public Policy. Reed, an Army Ranger and a paratrooper, served in the 82nd Airborne Division as an Infantry Platoon Leader, a Company Commander, and a Battalion Staff Officer. He returned to West Point in 1978 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences.

Reed resigned from the Army as a Captain in 1979 and enrolled at Harvard Law School. In 1982, he graduated from Harvard and served a year as an associate with the Washington, DC law firm of Sutherland, Asbill, and Brennan. In 1983, he returned to Rhode Island and joined the Providence law firm of Edwards and Angell.

Impressive senator Reed…but you can’t hold a candle to McChrystal. So while your figuring out the right combination of troops, civilian support
and international assistance our people are in a no win situation. Enjoy your lunch tommorro…...

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