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Nelson Introduces Bill Calling for Benchmarks on Transition
June 9, 2011 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson and Secretary of Defense Nominee Leon Panetta agreed on the importance of setting benchmarks for marking progress toward the 2014 goal of the Afghan government leading and conducting all military operations in Afghanistan.
“If we intend to transfer security responsibility to the Afghan government by 2014, benchmarks will allow us to measure our progress and know whether we’re on the right path or if we need to make corrections to meet the 2014 goal,” Senator Nelson said.
“According to the President’s plan, troops are supposed to start transitioning from Afghanistan next month. We often hear that whether these withdrawals take place will be decided by the conditions on the ground,” Senator Nelson said during Panetta’s confirmation hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which Nelson is a member.
“In that regard, I am introducing a measure today that will require benchmarks to evaluate the progress being made toward the transition of security responsibilities to the Government of Afghanistan,” Nelson added during his questioning of Panetta. “I am encouraged by your support of this method of evaluating progress by some form of metrics so that we’re not in a gray area about whether we’re winning or we’re losing or making progress. It gives us an opportunity to decide what level of progress we have made and what remains to be accomplished.”
Nelson asked Panetta what measurements would help evaluate the progress of transitioning the lead responsibility for Afghanistan’s security to Afghan officials by 2014.
Panetta outlined several and said it is crucial that General David Petraeus – who has been nominated to succeed Panetta as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, American diplomatic leaders in the region, and the Administration participate in identifying which benchmarks would be important to indicate whether the transition is on the right path towards the 2014 goal.
Nelson agrees, and his bill would have the Administration establish the specific benchmarks on the transition of security responsibilities. Updates on these benchmarks would be included in the semi-annual reports to Congress, which are already produced.
Nelson has advocated and authored previous requirements for other benchmarks in Afghanistan and for the U.S. effort in Iraq. The new benchmarks would focus on the transition to Afghan forces leading security operations in that country.
“By establishing clear benchmarks for a strategic transition, we will have a better understanding of whether we can reduce troop levels in Afghanistan at a level faster than we had originally planned – or if other adjustments must be made,” Nelson said. “The American people deserve to know how well the transition is going toward meeting the goal of having Afghan National Security Forces leading and conducting all military and security operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.”
Nelson added, “This is a time of major transition in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya and throughout the Mideast and North Africa. Each country’s circumstances are different from the next, but the overarching reality is they involve national security interests of the United States.”
Afghanistan’s security is linked directly to the challenges in Pakistan. In order to gain a better understanding of those challenges, Nelson met with Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, on Tuesday.
Pakistan has been a partner in the fight against terrorism, but Nelson emphasized to the Ambassador that for U.S. aid to Pakistan to continue, the government of Pakistan must conduct a thorough investigation into who in the government or military may have given support to Osama bin Laden while he was in hiding in Pakistan.
During Panetta’s confirmation hearing this morning, Nelson noted the complicated relations between the United States and Pakistan and asked Panetta if there is enough transparency in the relationship.
“We have to work at developing a relationship of trust with the Pakistanis and I don’t know that we are totally there yet,” Panetta responded. “There are some areas where we have good discussions and good communications, but there are a number of areas where, frankly, we don’t have that level of trust or communication capability. I think we have to work at that. We’ve got to develop it because, as I have said, it is in the interest of both countries to have a trusting relationship because terrorism is an enemy not just for the United States, but it is an enemy for Pakistan.”
Text of Senator Nelson’s bill on establishing benchmarks for the transition in Afghanistan is below:
112th CONGRESS
1st SESSION
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. Nelson of Nebraska introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
A BILL
To provide for benchmarks to evaluate progress being made toward the goal of transitioning security responsibilities in Afghanistan to the Government of Afghanistan.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Afghan Responsibility for Afghan Security Act”.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) October 7, 2011, will mark the 10-year anniversary of the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
(2) Military operations in Afghanistan have cost United States taxpayers more than $300,000,000,000 to date.
(3) As of June 6, 2011, 1,599 members of the United States Armed Forces have lost their lives in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and more than 11,000 have been wounded.
(4) On December 1, 2009, at a speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, President Barack Obama stated that the United States would begin the transfer of United States Armed Forces out of Afghanistan in July 2011 with the pace of reductions to be based upon conditions on the ground.
(5) In the December 2010 Afghanistan-Pakistan Annual Review, President Obama reaffirmed that the core goal of the United States strategy in Afghanistan is to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda.
(6) In January 2010, participants at the London Conference pledged to develop a plan for phased transition to Afghan security lead. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and foreign ministers of the constituent elements of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) endorsed the Joint Framework for Transition in April 2010, and President Obama and President Karzai of Afghanistan committed to the process in a May 2010 joint statement.
(7) At the Kabul Conference in July 2010, the international community expressed its support for the objective of President Karzai that the Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSF) should lead and conduct all military operations in all provinces in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, support that was later re-affirmed by North Atlantic Treaty Organization and International Security Assistance Force member nations at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010.
(8) On May 1, 2011, in support of the goal to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda, President Obama authorized a United States operation that killed Osama bin Laden, leader of al Qaeda. While the impact of his death on al Qaeda remains to be seen, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the death of bin Laden a “game changer” in a speech on May 6, 2011.
SEC. 3. BENCHMARKS TO EVALUATE THE PROGRESS BEING MADE TOWARD THE TRANSITION OF SECURITY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR AFGHANISTAN TO THE GOVERNMENT OF AFGHANISTAN
(a) BENCHMARKS REQUIRED.—The President shall establish, and may update from time to time, a comprehensive set of benchmarks to evaluate progress being made toward the transition of security responsibilities in Afghanistan to the Government of Afghanistan.
(b) SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—The President shall include the most current set of benchmarks established pursuant to subsection (a) with each report on progress toward security and stability in Afghanistan that is submitted to Congress under sections 1230 and 1231 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181; 122 Stat. 385, 390).
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