Senator urges faster buildup of Afghan forces

Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., on Friday called on the Obama administration to accelerate efforts to train and equip Afghanistan security and police forces, arguing that doing so would be more effective than sending more U.S. combat forces to the country than currently planned.

Levin this week briefed Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on his plan after making a recent trip to Afghanistan. He said he wants the administration to push up its goal of activating 240,000 Afghan troops and 160,000 Afghan police by a year, to 2012.

"We need a surge of Afghan security forces," Levin said at a news conference. "We have not done enough to put that in motion."

Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and allied military commander in Afghanistan, is expected soon to request more combat troops deploy to the country to quell rising violence. But Levin warned that an increased U.S. military presence would provide "propaganda fodder for the Taliban."

Levin's comments seemed to reflect the rising sentiment among many Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are reluctant to fund more combat troops in Afghanistan. On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she does not believe there is a "great deal of support" in the country or in Congress for deploying more troops.

On Friday, Levin acknowledged that his plan to accelerate development of Afghan forces would require additional trainers but said he hopes NATO forces ultimately would provide a significant number of those trainers.

"If our NATO allies are not going to come through with the combat forces they have pledged, at least they could provide additional trainers," he said on the Senate floor shortly before talking with reporters.

To equip the larger Afghan military force, Levin is urging the administration to send to Afghanistan a large amount of the U.S. equipment, such as vehicles and ammunition, now leaving Iraq. Levin said he believed the United States could send the equipment to Afghanistan without hurting U.S. military readiness.