Afghanistan Troop Request and the Iranian Missile Test

With General McChrystal is justifying to the National Command Authority his request of 40,000 additional Soldiers and Marines, the tension with Iran is growing by the minute.

President Obama’s announcement over the weekend regarding the Iranian nuclear enrichment program is also disturbing to say the least. Given the instability in the nation following the elections this summer, the prospect of a nuclear Iran is scary to everyone.  The strides and sacrifices to create a stable Iraq could come to a dismal conclusion if Iran becomes the distinct military power in the Middle East. Their involvement and funding/training of insurgent forces is a clear demonstration of their overall intent and nothing can be said otherwise.

The growing skepticism surrounding the secret facility are mired by the election that took place in June where President Ahmadinejad was re-elected under less than honorable conditions. The unstable nation is posed to in less than a few years have the capability to launch strikes at targets as far as Israel. 

American forces are currently engaged in combat operations on Iran’s eastern border and the debate over a troop increase is also heating up discussions in the Foggy Bottom.

Gen McChrystal who does not wear body armor or carry a weapon when meeting publicly with Afghans bears a different type of message. His push for winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan population is in direct relationship with the counterinsurgency manual FM3-24. The swift change of leadership in Afghanistan this summer by Secretary Gates also shows a change in the way we fight. General McChrystal has an atypical military background coming from the Special Forces community. His asymmetrical outlook on how we fight could truly pave the way for how American forces interact with Afghanis and battle a counterinsurgency simultaneously.

While the Obama administration balances the decision between increasing troops on the Afghan front, the tension with Iran is gradually growing with their testing of a long range missile early this morning. This week will truly be interesting in terms of international relations for the United States…Stay tuned…