General McKiernan’s request for forces arrived at an inconvenient time. The ongoing White House assessment, and the resource limitations of the military services stretched thin by expanding requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan, made a quick decision difficult and unlikely. So too did a natural reluctance to make major adjustments in advance of the U.S. elections in November. Thus, a decision on whether to send more forces into what was soon to be America’s longest war would be awaiting the new president.
All of these factors intersected with the emergence of a serious financial crisis that would compete with issues like Afghanistan, and even Al Qaeda, for America’s attention and resources.
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The election of Barack Obama on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, promised new energy. Like many Americans, I welcomed his freshness and call for bipartisan action that came amid all the challenges buffeting our nation.
Within the Joint Staff, we had already done preliminary work to prepare for a transition that would take place in January 2009 regardless of the election outcome. Chairman Mullen created a cell within the staff whose sole purpose was to bring about the most seamless transition possible. We were at war, and the chairman stressed the importance of no hiccups. That task was greatly simplified when, in December 2008, President-elect Obama asked Secretary Gates, a Bush appointee I found exceptionally effective, to remain in his position. From a practical standpoint, that decision significantly reduced near-term personnel turnover in the Pentagon, easing transition. I also read it as the signal of his intent to operate in a bipartisan fashion.
On January 20, 2009, inauguration day, I went to work to be in place in case some kind of incident arose requiring our response. To reduce traffic in D.C., we’d directed most of the Pentagon staff to take a day off, so the halls were uncharacteristically deserted. Earlier that day I’d bundled Annie into one of my large quilted army jackets so she could walk from Fort McNair to join the huge crowd on the Mall for the inauguration without freezing. Meanwhile I watched the proceedings from my office. That evening, she animatedly described to me the sense of excitement she felt radiating through the crowd.
Having read about previous presidential transitions, I anticipated an initial period in which decisions on complex issues would naturally be delayed. Staffs need time to conduct due diligence on issues before recommending long-term projects or commitments. But in 2009, with the development of events and the approaching Afghan elections, President Obama’s new administration quickly found itself faced with important decisions.
The immediate driver was General McKiernan’s request for new forces, roughly thirty thousand troops, which had been on hold since he’d submitted the request in late summer. A key part of the rationale for additional forces was the desire to halt, and then reverse, Taliban momentum in the south, hopefully in advance of the August elections. That conclusion was logical, but it also created an unwelcome dynamic. In the eighth year of the war in Afghanistan, a new president found himself facing a time-sensitive decision. It reminded me of President Kennedy’s experience with the Bay of Pigs.
The next ten months saw the emergence of an unfortunate deficit of trust between the White House and the Department of Defense, largely arising from the decision-making process on Afghanistan. To me it appeared unintentional on both sides. But over time, the effects were costly.
The first sign of mistrust arose around the initial decision on General McKiernan’s troop request. Instead of approving the entire request of thirty thousand troops, in February, the president announced that seventeen thousand forces would be deployed, and any decisions on further deployments would depend on further analysis. This partial decision was logical. Put in perspective, after less than a month in office, and in a single decision, President Obama had increased U.S. forces in Afghanistan by 50 percent.
But the situation in Afghanistan pressed relentlessly, and the Department of Defense quickly asked for additional parts of Dave McKiernan’s original request. The military felt a sense of urgency, seeing little remaining time if any forces approved were to reach Afghanistan in time to improve security in advance of the elections. More important, confusion arose almost immediately between the White House and Department of Defense over the exact numbers involved, and the specific makeup of the forces. Not long after President Obama approved sending the seventeen thousand troops, the military reported back that an additional four thousand troops were needed. From a White House perspective it surely appeared as though the Department of Defense hadn’t done enough detailed staff work or, worse, that the military was playing games with the numbers.