U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Brandon Mann uses his automatic rifle's scope to scan the area while providing security with his military working dog, Ty, around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 17, 2012. Mann, a military working dog handler, and Ty, an improvised explosive device detection dog, are assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alfred V. LopezPentagon Planning Downgrade In Afghanistan Command -- Washington Beacon
The Pentagon is considering downgrading the U.S.-led military command in Afghanistan, which is currently headed by a four-star Army general, to a three-star special operations command, according to U.S. officials.
The new command would take over all military operations in Afghanistan from the current 50-member International Security Assistance Force.
Such a downgrade would reflect a major shift away from the use of conventional forces in counterinsurgency campaigns in favor of commando-led counterterrorism operations, a focus on the training of Afghan forces, and the use of semi-secret CIA activities against Taliban forces.
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My Comment: If this downgrade goes through .... and it looks like it will .... this alone will send out a clear message to everyone (friend and foe) that the U.S. military is now entering a new phase in the Afghan war. Is this right to do .... I hope so .... but I am still predicting that the Afghan war is going to get worse in 2012 regardless of what happens in the American command structure.