Coons Calls For Afghan Policy Shift

The Huffington Post reports:

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) is calling for a change of strategy in Afghanistan, arguing the current course is unsustainable and the military needs to refocus its efforts on a counterterrorism approach.

In an op-ed running on Wednesday in the Wilmington, Del., News Journal, Coons says the July drawdown should be "the beginning of a new, more targeted counter-terrorism strategy that more wisely focuses our military and diplomatic resources on defending America's security interests."

"This was not an easy place for me to come to," said Coons in an interview with The Huffington Post. "I support our troops, I support our commander in chief -- it is not easy to disagree with their current strategy. There are lots of very dedicated, very determined, very capable men and women serving us in Afghanistan who really want the opportunity to prove that this current strategy can work. I just hear broad skepticism at home that another few years at 100,000 troops and more than $100 billion a year is going to change the outcome."

Coons visited Afghanistan in February, and came away convinced that more of the U.S. focus needed to be directed toward Pakistan.

Like a growing number of his colleagues, Coons is arguing for a shift away from a counterinsurgency campaign toward a counterterrorism approach. He pointed to the killing of Osama bin Laden -- accomplished by a team of a couple dozen Navy SEALs -- as one example of how a large boots-on-the-ground presence is not necessarily the most successful strategy.