Afghanistan and Pakistan - Sen. Mark Udall

Eight years after Afghanistan-based Al Qaeda terrorists plotted against the United States and attacked us on September 11th, Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the central front in the global fight against Islamic extremism. While our men and women in uniform have courageously met the challenges they have faced, the fact is that the previous Administration took its eye off the ball in Afghanistan.

In December 2009, with security deteriorating in the region, President Obama announced a new way forward - one that signals to the Afghan and Pakistani governments that they must step up to meet their commitments and that our own military commitment to Afghanistan is not open-ended. Although there are no easy or risk-free choices, the President has made a reasoned case for a strategy to refocus our attention on rooting out Al Qaeda, stabilizing the region, and beginning to transition our forces out of Afghanistan.

We all recognize that there is no purely military solution to this conflict. I have long called for increasing troops in Afghanistan, boosting the number of military trainers to build the Afghan Security Forces, and for a civilian surge.
President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan embraces these goals. It also recognizes that achieving the "core objective" - disrupting, dismantling, and defeating Al Qaeda and its safe havens in Pakistan, and preventing their return to Pakistan or Afghanistan - means an international commitment to building security, improving governance, and fostering development.

Afghanistan is where Al Qaeda plotted its 9/11 attacks against us. We can't afford for it to become a haven for terrorists to attack Americans again - and we can't afford for nuclear weapons in Pakistan to fall into the wrong hands.

As we move forward, I intend to keep our mission in Afghanistan focused on achievable and specific goals that rely not only on our military power but on diplomacy and civilian expertise. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am working across the aisle to do what Coloradans elected me to do - support responsible strategies that will ensure our nation is safe.

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