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President Barack Obama wrapped up a key speech in his presidency, taking U.S. strategy on Afghanistan into higher gear.
The president says he plans to send an additional 30,000 soldiers to the war torn region.
President Obama says the troops will deploy in early 2010, will help accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and will allow the US to begin transferring US forces out of the country in July 2011.
"If I did not think that the security of the United States and the safety of the American people were at stake in Afghanistan, I would gladly order every single one of our troops home tomorrow. So no - I do not make this decision lightly," Obama said.
Here at home, 3,500 Fort Richardson soldiers are supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. February into March will mark a year since the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) 25th Infantry Division members deployed to Afghanistan.
While Fort Richardson officials say it is not clear how the president's announcement will affect our Alaskan soldiers, it appears their scheduled return could depend on President Obama's troop increase.
Of the 857 military personnel killed in Afghanistan, three Alaskans have lost their lives. Most recently Anchorage-raised Marine Corporal Gregory Fleury, 23, was killed in October when two Marine helicopters collided in flight while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Perhaps no one knows the implications of the president's
"It's not easy," says military wife Denna Campbell. "I mean I'm taking care of two kids. Working a full time job. I just found out I was pregnant with a third one."
On her eighth wedding anniversary Campbell found out she was pregnant. Her husband, who is one of the 3,500 Fort Richardson soldiers, is deployed to Afghanistan. The same holds true for Campbell's friend Ashley Stringer.
"It's hard when they're gone, but we chose to be military wives," Stringer says.
These wives say they support the president's decision, even if it means their husbands do not return home as soon as they thought.
"We're not forced into it," Campbell says. "We don't do drafts anymore. It's our option to join the military. And the military's supporting my family. So I support it."
U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, issued the following statement in reaction to President Obama's address to the nation this evening on his proposed new strategy for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan:
"The American public needs no reminder of why the U.S. must have a military presence in Afghanistan right now - to eliminate the threat of al-Qaida launching more deadly attacks on our nation and our world. I have long supported this goal.
"Tonight the President laid out a well considered plan for defeating terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. His plan is comprehensive, it calls on larger contributions by other nations with a stake in the region and it is designed to restore the confidence of the Afghan people in their government. I am heartened the President's plan includes benchmarks for progress and most importantly, an exit strategy. I commend the President for thoroughly evaluating all his options and listening to the advice of his senior military and civilian leaders.
"Alaskans have a personal stake in Afghanistan because 4,000 of our Alaska-based service members are serving there in harm's way today, with more Alaska soldiers to be deployed in the near future. As more young Americans are sent to the front lines, I'll do everything within my power to make sure they have the resources, equipment and right strategy they need to get the job done.
"That starts tomorrow when Secretaries Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, brief the Senate Armed Services Committee and answer questions from me and other senators."
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, made the following statement regarding President Obama's speech on his plan for Afghanistan:
"I am pleased that the President, after months of deliberation, is willing to provide General McChrystal with a substantial number of additional troops to carry out his mission in Afghanistan. But the key question is whether the President is fully committed to a strategy that provides a peaceful future for the people of Afghanistan and ceases the export of global terrorism from within its borders. While announcing a troop increase, the President also said that the United States will begin withdrawing forces in July 2011. There is merit in putting the Afghan people on notice that they need to take control of their future but we must be certain that the July 2011 date is not applied arbitrarily in a way that would cause our hard fought gains to quickly disappear.
"I am also concerned about how we will pay for this escalation. I do not support the idea of a war tax, as some have recommended. One funding source I think we can look at is the failed economic stimulus law, where there are hundreds of billions of unspent dollars. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee I will continue my fight to ensure that our troops have sufficient funds to carry out their mission."
Congressman Don Young, R-Alaska, released the following statement today in anticipation of the expected announcement by President Obama this evening that he is deploying U.S. troops to Afghanistan over the next six months:
"By sending more troops over to Afghanistan without changing the rules of combat, we are just spinning our wheels," said Rep. Young. "Our troops are working under constant threat of prosecution and cannot do their jobs effectively under such conditions. We aren't solving the problem by just sending more troops. Setting arbitrary deadlines and padding the fields with more troops is not the answer to being successful in Afghanistan. Alaskan-based troops and their families have made enormous sacrifices to protect their country. We need to give our troops the tools they require, the support they need, the respect they deserve, and the freedom to do their jobs."
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