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committee will come to order. today the house armed services committee meets to discuss the ongoing conflict in afghanistanful we have been engaged military information afghanistan for 14 years. the predictions this would be a long conflict have proven accurate. while there have been setbacks in recent years, there's also cause for cautious optimism. united states and its allies especially the afghan forces, have made some meaningful gains. a counterinsurgency is one of the toughest types of war a academicracy can fight. it's been difficult but not impossible and both our future security and the future of the

afghanistan afghan people depends on our success. people in afghanistan have niksch my opinion the best opportunity for a stable relatively peaceful country. together with the cooperation of our allies and the kabul government we bail 352,000 strong afghan national security force. building a capable security force takes time. the nsf is growing in ability and capabilities. now is a critical moment. we must not repeat the mistakes of iraq,y an early was based on political rather than strategic calculations contributedded to the rise of isil, where an enemy once devastate reconstituted itself to pose an even bigger motion deadly threat. although the operational outlook is very different, than iraq afghanistan could also become unstable should in the united states end the mission before the afghan forces are cavable of

providing their own security. we should not have in my view time-based withdrawal from afghanistan and i hope the president reconsiders his -- the approach he has previously announced and listens to the request of president ghani. i hope to hear about what objectives must be met to secure gains, the key challenges facing the ansf, and is our presence and allied presence in afghanistan adequate to meet the challenges. finally, as congress considers the president's counter-isil-aumf request, some questions are, what implications that would have on ongoing and future operations against isil al qaeda and other terrorist groups in afghanistan. we are fortune to have general campbell with us to answer these and many other questions today. but before turning to them i

yield to the distinguished ranking member, mr. smith. >> thank you mr. chairman. i appreciate you holding this hearing. i want to thank general campbell for being here and his service. he is the absolute right man for the job in afghanistan. he has had a number of different roles during our conflict in afghanistan, and i think there has been progress. just since general campbell took over. and i'll give you all the credit for this. finally arrived at power-sharing arrangement within within in the afghan government, and laid the foundation to build off that solid government and build a partnership, unlike in iraq where we had very very strong difficulty getting any sort of bilateral security agreement that would allow us to stay. we achieved that. the president ghani wants to us be there and hopefully we can make that relationship work to maintain security. ultimately that is the big challenge. afghanistan has again to be responsible for itself.

they've got to be able to provide for their own security and they have made great strides in doing that. they'd they've taken over the primary security role throughout the country and have done okay. not going to sugar coat that. it's still a very tough fight but have managed to keep the country relatively stable and we need to build on that. ultimately in afghanistan and iraq western military forces cannot impose security on another country. there's a fine line between helping them and appearing like a foreign occupying force. in this case as we draw down think we have done it about right, giving them that responsibility, but going forward, though will continue to be many many challenges. the government still has corruption problems. the taliban are still very active. the border issues of pakistan

have not been resolved, and we definitely have a security? that region. as i've said many times before in this committee i wish we didn't. it's very very difficult place to teal with, but we do. the tall -- taliban al qaeda, part of the larger group that threatens souse we need a strong presence there that can help contain that but hopefully one that builds towards self-sufficiency and the afghan people being able to stand on their own. i look forward to hearing from the general today how we're progressing on our goals and where we request from here. i yield back. >> just on an administrative note, all members' offices were notified yesterday that for the purposes of this hearing, we are going to go in reverse order, for those who were here at the gavel. part of my thinking is we have had a number of members, newer

members who have sat through a long time on other hearings before you got to answer questions, and in addition, those of us who have been here a while have had the opportunity to ask a number of questions about afghanistan, some -- and so this is a good opportunity for newer members. so after we hear from general campbell we'll start go in reverse order, for everyone who was here at the time of the gavel, and then as we always do, recognize members in their order of appearance of coming into the committee room. general campbell, thank you for making time to be with us. your full written statement will be me a part of the record, and the floor is yours. >> chairman, ranking member and distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. i'm honored to lead and represent the service men and women of the united states forces in afghanistan and i would like to thank the committee for your steadfast

support of our soldiers, airmen sailors, marines and civilians and they're the best trained best equipped force our nation has ever deployed and their outstanding performance areas testimony to your backing and the backing of the american people. i want to pay tribute to our military families ex-unsung heroes. our frequent absences from home are harder on them than on us and without their love and support and strength we could not succeed. so i thank the military families. identity at liming to recognize the over 2200 service men and women oh have been killed in action in afghanistan and the over thousands plus who have been wounded. each day we strive to bring meaning to their sacrifices and honor their memories by continuing to build a security and stable afghanistan. and by perfecting our own homeland. over 13 years have passed since the 9/11 attacks and we haven't forgotten why we first came to afghanistan and why we remain there. since 2001 the efforts and courage of our forces have

ensured another terrorist attack originating from afghanistan and direct against the u.s. homeland has not occurred. over six months have passed since i assumed command and much has changed since. the afghanistan, the region the enemy, our coalition have undergone many tremendous transitions, and most of these have been very positive. i'd like to emphasize a few of these today in order to place our current campaign in context, and really re-affirm the conditions that exist for us to achieve,en enduring peace and potential win for afghanistan. in september afghanistan completed the first peaceful democratic transition in its history. after a prolonged campaign and this transition was a monumental achieve and represents the afghanistan' commitment to a democratic and open society the difference between a national unity government and its predecessors is night and day. approximated ghan and i chief executive abdullah have embraced the international community our

congresses, and the national security forces. our partnership is strong. we now have a ratifiedded bilateral security agreement and a lot of people worked very hard for that, and the nato status of forces agreement which grants us necessary authority to continue our mission. dynamics in the region continue to evolve. president ghani has made regional engagement a top priority to scare economic interest. nowhere is this more evident than in pakistan and afghan relations. the pakistani taliban attacks in 16 december may prove to be their 9/11 and a game-changer for the region. most senior pakistani officials recognize they can no longer separate good terrorists from back terrorists, and in the last few months i've witnessed first hand substantive improvement in interaction between afghan and pakistani militaries. they're not talking. general rue ruhel remarked the

enemies of afghanistan are the enemies of pakistan, and this is a constructive admission, and we're doing everything we took promote closer cooperation. and i remain optimistic that both countries are working towards a more productive relationship. the enemy remains in state of flux too. the taliban failed to achieve any stated goals in 2014. they failed to disrupt the elections. they failed to undermine the political transcivics, and they failed to prevet the afghan government from signing a long-term security a agreement with nato and the ute. on the battlefield they achieved no endure can gains. omar has not been seen in years. the taliban senior leadership is in disarray. constantly pressured by the ansaf, suffering from dissension in their ranks and lacking popular support they turned to high profile terrorist attacks, particularly against soft targeted inside of kabul in a

desperate attempt to remain relevant they're failing to win over the afghan population. they're primarily killing their fellow afghans and muslims and murdering innocent civilians, and it's time for them to lay down their arms and heed the call to rebuild the afghan nation. the possible rise of isil is a new development. we believe the die-presence in afghanistan represents more of a reband are of marginalized taliban who are take the threat very seriously and working very closely to evaluate understand the dynamic nature of this fledgling network. the potential emer underof dish represents -- we'll continue to engage leaders from both countries on ways to meet the challenge. we're all driven to prevent them

from establishing a meaningful foothold in central asia. the united states fors afghanistan and our coalition have undergone tremendous changes as well here in the last six months. on january 1, united states forces afghanistan formally ended its combat mission, operation enduring flee doom, and sentenced a new mission, operation freedom sentinel. and end all detainee operations. simultaneously. troops from 41 nations z. which crime price the new nato mission, resolute support, began their train, advise some assist mission in for long-term sustainable of ansaf. on january 1st ansaf assumed full security responsibilities. they're ready and it's time. and their second fighting season they were challenged and tested. but they held their own against a very determinedded in. on the battlefield the ansaf fought tenaciously and demonstrated increasing

capabilities. today the government of islamic arraign of afghan is firmly in control of off 34 provincial capitols and all major cities. the afghan special forces in particular have proven to be the most proficient in the entire region. they've constantly excused direct action missions using their own intelligence and own special mission week to carry out long-range insurgent. for both the -- afghan continues to be a dangerous place weapon lost a coalition soldier from turkey last thursday in a suicide attack inside of kabul. ansaf casualty rates increased in 2014. roughly five to seven percent higher than in 2013. however i think this must be fluid light of the fact that their operational tempo was four times greater than it was in 2013, and that over 100,000

coalition forces were not on the battlefield. even considering the higher casualty rates the attrition rates which account for all losses to the force have not impacted combat readiness. army and police recruiting has not been a problem. afghan youth continue to join the ranks and service in the security-for-widely respected and viewed as an honorable, patriotic profession. the army remains the most trusted institution in the country. on balance afterring ansaf respond to a variety of challenge is don't believe the insurgents represent anes is stann shall threat to the government. our ansaf need help in developing the system and processes necessary to run a modern professional army and police force. they also knee sustained support in addressing capability gaps by aviation intelligence sustainment, and special

operations to address these gaps our advisory mission and mentorship will be vital. our advisers are at the security ministries, at the army corps level, and police zones and those remain our main efforts. although clear challenges exist i do believe the ansaf abilities and capacities capacities capacities capacities and morale will be sufficient and will provide for long-term security by the end of the resolute support mission. president ghani remarked, quote, compelled by tragedy and cement by mutual sacrifice the partnership between afghanistan, nato and the united states entered a new north carolina end quote. i believe we're at a very critical night our campaign. many challenges remain before us as a new afghan government forms, it's still finding its footing and they must do so while contend can with a security threat corruption, and economic challenges, yet all of these changes, transitions,

offer us really a tremendous opening and an opportunity. the ghani administration offers us a strategic opportunity to develop a strategic partnership that will stabilize afghanistan and then in turn provide and offer greater security for the region and ultimately the united states homeland. there is a new spirit of cooperation in kabul. something we didn't have before. and i firmly believe our concurrent counterterrorism and train, advise and assist will deepen our part nor ship and shape doors favorable outcome. we could offer no greater tribute to he american people the fallen and loved ones by maintaining a long-term stability of afghan and enduring protection of our homeland. i'd like to direct the members' attention to the charts and a couple of of photographs to your right front. we have also provided paper

copies for you to look at, and i'm offer asked, what have we accomplished? what with hey achieved? what is success? i frequently share she's statistics and images to underscore the tremendous progress that has taken place in 13 years. every measurable piece you look at. road warned, people using the internet, number of anymore school females in school the work force pretty incredible. unprecedented. the life expectancy increase of 21 years in the last 13 years. that's unprecedented. a remarkable investment for a remarkable return on our investment. and few countries advance to rapidly, and that success and the coalition and our ansaf created conditions for that success. 741 million years, life years of afghan people based on new life expectancy. i want to underscore that we are underwriting the progress not

for the afghans but nor american people. the afghan stood and security contributes to our own. the next or two pictures of 2001 and where we are in 2014. the first one shows inside of kabul. then and on the bottom now and then kabul that day -- at night, and then fifth fastest growing city in the country. remarkable difference. would have undercocut the terrorists appeal. and the work of u.s. coalition and civilanses over the last 13 years created conditionsy afghans can take responsibility for their own security and governance. the afghans welcome the opportunity to shape their destiny. but they will still desire and need our assistance. we're supporting emergence of a security, prosperous afghanistan that desires to be and can be

our reliable strategic partner and one that will never allow terrorists to use its territory to plan and launch attacks against us. president ghani asked for additional flexible in nato and u.s. mission to account nor fact that his government remains in transition. he acknowledges that while the ansaf are better equipped than ever. work remains to build their bury bureaucratic system. a tremendous psychological boost to the afghan people. we'll continuously assess the progress of resolute support and united states forces afghanistan is currently involved in a comprehensive review of our campaign and this review is look at all of our lines of effort, not just the military and i have provide various options and recommendations for justing our force posture through the chain

of command. one issue is to determine how long we should stay and can stay engaged at the recommending until level before. i express my profound gratitude to the committee memberes for your unfailing support of our mission and our troops in afghan. i'm humbled and privileged to lead the men and women of their caliber and courage, and every day they're making all of us proud. my written statement committed earlier be taken in the record. >> thank you gentlemen. i appreciate they dat you brought. some of this is surprising to me, and i've -- some of the information about the attitudes of the afghan people are helpful to us. are particularly helpful to us. i think mr. smith and i will withhold our questions at the moment. i would request if we could put the posters down just to --

unless members have questions about it, just to not block folks' view, and i would yield five minutes to the distinguished gentleman from new jersey mr. mcarthur. >> thank you mr. chairman, and general, also really appreciated your comments and i want to echo what you said about our men and women in uniform and their families and the sacrifices they've made. it's important at every opportunity to remember them. i had a question about a comment that secretary carried made yesterday. secretary cart err told the senate armed services committee that withdrawal from afghanistan would be conditioned-based. it steamed me that hinted that maybe there was no firm deadline for withdrawal, and my understanding has been that there has been an articulated plan by the from have troop

drawdowns by the end of 2016. so my question for you is do you think that extending withdrawal past 2016 would help you better accomplish your goals on the ground? >> thank you for the question and i did see the secretary's comments. i really provided options that stay within the framework of what the president put out there, and it does show the current plan is 9800 u.s. going down to 500 with the end of december of '15 and then down to 1,000 by the end of '16. the options i presented do not go past '16. they're all providing flexibility within '15 '16, sir. >> not to put you in a difficult position relative to stated goals by the president, but it's helpful for us to get your perspective as the commander on

the ground. you showed tremendous progress here, which we, i think all celebrate and want to see that continue and be in a position to be sustained after our mission there is complete. do you -- what would be your level of confidence that you can achieve that by the end of 2016? >> sir honestly i owe you my most military advice is a do to my chain of command. i don't know what we can accomplish in the summer fighting season 15 at the train-advise level. we just started a new resolute support mission on 1 january. i want to get through a full fighting season april through late september time frame, focus on train advise and assist and with our ct mission and if we look at a downsize of the 5500 that could take tower eye off of focus on train and assist when we need it.

we take a look at all the different conditions out there. we continuously make assessments, taken into account the enemy situation, the friendly forces how they're doing, the people, the different regions, and all of those will go in as i continue to make assessments and provide that. but i really do need to understand and see what we can do with these new entities, train advise and assist commands we have in our spokes. in the east and kandahar in the south. this is a new dynamic, we haven't been at that level before. my initial assessment right now is they continue to work very well and the afghans really do over the last 13-plus years, have continued to develop. this is my third time in afghan mitchell last time was as the command 1 other 1st visited a couple times between '11 and when i took over this summer. the difference from back in '10 and '11 to today is night day. the afghan security forces

continue to progress. they have an precision ongoing now. i won't go into great deal because it is ongoing insure northern helmund but this was an operation that was entirely plan and led from the afghanistan perspective. i took back briefs on it when i was the helmund. this is a three-core operation. there is supporting from the 205th and 207. i've never seen an afghan operation that complex back briefed to me and the senior leadership inside of afghan on the explosion army sign and the integration between the pillars, police army intelligence, was pretty remarkable. i think they continue to get better and better. i i can analyze that bert after the fighting season but i believe that the flexibility we asked for and have put forward will provide us a better opportunity to take advantage of things that have change over the

last six months, president ghani and his embracing of the international community, the relationship between afghanistan and change in leadership of force skis think leadership and holding people conditionable makes a difference. >> thank you, general. i yield back. >> thank you. mr. aguilar. >> thank you mr. chairman. i appreciate the change in for mad. i'll add you to the christmas card list. thank you for that. thank you, general, for being here. with respect to the aumf if congress were to pass the proposed ammf can you provide examples what you can and cannot do within that? >> thank you for the question. i have not read the entire aumf. i can tell you from looking at it briefly, what that would provide -- the authority is have today and the resources i have today i can continue to work hard at the ct commission the train, advise and assist mission i have. with the aumf the way i

understand it with no geographical boundaries issue think i too will be able to prosecutor what need to for today. after 2015, where my authority made change, and i'd have to go back and look at that but for today i have no issues as i think general austin said from centcom yet with that. >> if detention policies at all changed post 1 january? >> absolutely. i do not have the authority to detain the insurgents. all detainees we would have had have been turned over to afghanistan or other countries. i have no detention facilities inside of afghanistan. >> thank you. one of the things we talked about extensively is risk. can you talk to us -- you mentioned in your testimony that it wouldn't be affected too severely. but can you add more color to that discussion of risk associated with the proposed drawdown? >> risk take in a lot of

different factors. the tricks the coalition of u.s. forces, the risk to the afghan security forces. i think, again, any commander on the grounds would like to have more resources and more people. we continue to work hard through that as i make the assessment today and take a look at many of the things as we have drown down. i don't say withdrawal but we're in a continuous transition and for the next two years plus it will be a continued transition. as you transition you lose people which provides security, most of my force protection is security is by, with and through the afghans. we have gone from 300 plus cops, combat outforces and forward operating bays to less than 25 today sort that increases the risk in some areas to force protection, to security as you transition forces you lose resources so the number of aircraft, the number of isr platforms goes into the calculus

is a look at the risk assessment, both the risk to mission and risk to force and as i looked at flexibility, president ghani asked for flexibility itch did take into account all those to try to mitigate risk of force as we move forward. >> can you give us some examples of things that president ghani may discuss when he addresses congress this month? >> first officer with the president ghani and dr. abdullah, the ceo it is really a new dynamic. i have had to deal with president karzai when i first got there in times before, and i think the american people -- all the people need to understand that every time president ghani or dr. abdullah address the crowd they thank the international community and thank the nuss particular, thank then the families for the sacrifice of their sons and daughters. you never would have heard that before. it's a completely different

atmosphere. i think the president will talk to all of you about that. i think he is quite proud of that. quite proud that he has taken on his leadership rope as a -- leadership role as manier in chief, visiting training sites and military hospitals. i attend their national security conferences. i am able to talk to him about different security issues at any time. i think he would tell you he spend probably 40% on security and 40% on economics but i think he'll talk about where afghanistan has come over the last 13 years where it's security forces are where it would not be without the help of the great coalition and the u.s. in particular, not only for the men and women who have made sacrifices for our families but also for the economic impact the u.s. provided along with many other donor nations. we may talk about how he sees the future and is going to get after corruption and how he'll

continue to attack that and is going to broaden the perspective and deal in terms of a regional aspect engaged with pakistan india, china saudi arabia, the entire region and needs to do that both from an economic perspective and security perspective. i think he is looking forward to and it all of you will find he'll be very engaging and his message will be one of thanks and also he has a great vision nor future of afghanistan. >> thank you for your continued service, general. thank you, mr. chairman. >> mr. knight. >> thank you mr. chairman. general, i'd like to talk about a couple other things. lea talk about readiness of forces. this has been a generation that could have gone into their military career in 1990 and now be retired and have been or have seen bat for the last 24 here's. so here in congress we worry about things like sequestration

worry about readiness of force and worry about one-to-one ratios of young men and women being over there, and for a year and being back here for a year six months and a year or something of that nature. can you give us an idea of the readiness of force today as compared to maybe four or five years ago or even ten years ago? >> i can talk better and give you perspective on on the readiness of force is get from the services as they are service providers, a little bit different perspective when i was the vice chief over the army. but all the forces i get in afghanistan, particularly from the u.s. are trained at the highest level and are focused on their mission in afghanistan. snow issue with that. all the services prioritize their deploying forces first and make shower they get the necessary training because they'll be putting their lives on the line. on sequestration it was six months ago when i was vice and i continue to talk to senior

leadership from all the services with sequestration that would devastate at the services and ability to provide the same force is give today. my son is a sergeant in the army has been to afghanistan divide. he was an 82nd airborne, currently in the 101st, and i worry about both as a father and then as a commander the ability to make sure that we continue provide the very best training and all the resources and things that go with us for or soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and services that deploy and sequestration would dampen that and would elevate the risk, absolutely. >> thank you. i think that you have a lot of committed people here that believe that, too. secondly, when we talk about detainees, you say you turn them over to the security forces or to afghan, what happens from there? is there some sort of a prosecution? is there some sort of judicial

action there or are they just detained or are they released? >> it's probably all of the above, quite frankly. with the detainees we had there was a long process we went through to get assureses from either countries they were sent to for afghanistan as well to make sure the right assurance is put in place they would be tried if they had to go through the process that they would be treated humanely. and so that was carefully taken a look at at all of the different detainees released from u.s. control, coalition control. no long deer we have detention facilities inside of the afghanistan system. that continues to grow. outside of bagram is the very best detention facility in all of afghanistan. continues to be -- i think the gold standard they have there. they're in the process right now based on direction from president ghani to move the national threat detainees to

par-1 and get them out of places that are overcrowded like down in kandahar, inside of kabul to make sure theys less tenant and have the right security so they're not freed without going through the proper trials and so i think they continue to work that very hard. par-1 is a gold standard that has the right prosecution efforts, has the right folks the judges contained in one unit, and we have a very small train and advice assist sell that will help build that capability for them. >> thank you, general if yield back. >> mr. milton. >> thank you mr. chairman. general, thank you very much for joining us this morning. i was impressed by what i saw two week others ago with the progress you have made. i share the chairman's view of the situation in iraq. where i think that all the progress we made or much of the progress we made during the surge has now been squandered we withdrawing too quickly and not

providing the ongoing political and diplomatic support that we knew was necessary that ambassador crocker and general petraeus called for the end of the surge. i'm interested to hear what you were doing differently in afghanistan this time around. i'll add i have the highest speak for president ghani but i'm not interested in hearing what is different about our partner. the after you invest trillions of dollars 0 our national treasure, after you invest thousands of lives, we shouldn't leave the eventual success of our mission up to the whims of our partner. so i'm interested in what you and the u.s. effort there is doing differently from iraq. >> thanks for the question. thank you for visiting our troops here. i apologize for not being. there was back here doing the testimony. i spent 18, 19 months in iraq as a one star back in 2006-2007 during the surge, inside of

baghdad. and i think the fundamental difference for me is the afghan security forces and their leadership and their determination to make sure -- they see the news. they see the media and understand what is going on with iraq and have permanently told me many senior leadership they will not let happen to afghanistan what happened to iraq. during the political unstable last fall many people thought thatted would divide among theth neck -- the ethnic tracks. they did not do that. they solidified around that and took that as a point of pride to make sure they didn't fracture and they were above that and they were a national force and they take great pride the doing that. i have seen all afghan-led training. i looked at training, medical training marksmanship training

clearing building. this unannounces -- general that's fax news but what's that what the afghans are doing things differently than the iraqis. what are we doing to ensure that? president ghani is a great partner today. he could -- god willing this won't happen but he could be gone tomorrow. what backstops are we president bush putting in place to make sure we can recovery and won't end up with a situation like we had with prime minister maliki in iraq. >> i think for me the continued trained advice and assist at the ministry level and the mod and the moi and all levels that control the army, that control the police working on their transparency accountability and oversight and planning programming and budgeting, working on sustainment and planning capability, strategic indications. working on they're intelligence. all essential functions we think they need to continue to have as

we come out of there, and our continued work in those areas at the ministry levels will continue to help. the other pieces they are looking hard at ensuring they are a professional army and a professional police anyway have leadership courses that continue to go on. they take bright leaders in all different ranks and bring them into special courts on leadership different from iraq. >> are you seeing the state department devote the level of resources needed to continue this mentorship and support on their diplomatic side of the house? >> we have a great relation show with ambassador mckinley and the folks -- we're connected to the embassy there they don't do the modomoi but they're engaged in other ministries the ngos and i think they're very dedicate ited and work very hard remember all the coalition, all the state department of all the defendant embassies there are because they're passionate about where afghanistan can go in the future excited about the future

of afghanistan and the fact that what happened in iraq has been in the news gives them more depression to say this ain't going to happen here. >> my last question. just to ensure we are maintaining our commit tom the long-term stability of afghanistan, what is the online financial commitment of the united states to make that happen? >> we're looking very hard how we continue to be more efficient and reduce that but it's about 4.1 billion for '15 and looking at fy16, i have that down to 3.8 bill because of in efficiencies we have garnered in their forces and how we operate and will continue to look at that very hard. they are very dependent on the u.s. and other donor nations to have this army and police they have absolutely. >> thank you general. >> thank you mr. chairman thank you general campbell, for your service and leadership. i, too had the privilege to participate in the codel chained

by joe wilson and i joined congressman multion and congressman ashford on the trip. was greet visit troops deployed from my district. so my question is in late february, the dod announced the three units to deploy as the upcoming rotation of forces in afghanistan, and one unit it the second brigade from the tenth mountain division which i represent, which is located at fort drum. the tenth mountain has supported operations in afghanistan since 2001. the most deployed minute the u.s. army since 9/11, to both iraq and afghanistan. so based upon my visit and our privilege of meeting with president ghani and the upcoming deployment of soldiers in my district that i represent, i'd like to know knock your you assessment of the recollection of the security situation and how that will impact future operations against the taliban. >> ma'am, again, thank you for visiting and thank you for the

question dime have colonel pat frank with me over here that commanded the third big gate tenth mountain in afghanistan in 2010-1011. we are very appreciative of the support. what i would tell you is they'll come in and work the train, advise and assist. ers to protection is our number one priority. the i look at that every day. we continuously monitor the threat streams, both inside of kabul and at all of our combat outposts and attacks. every day we look how to mitigate the threat but it will continue to be a very dangerous environment. there will be insurgents that want to kill our soldiers. we shouldn't make -- shouldn't put that aside. that's out there every day. so every day what we can't do is become complacent we tell our soldiers that in a mine-month, a 12-month rotation they'll have an opportunity to make a

difference. it may only be 15 seconds where they make the difference in their entire tour when it comes in terms of force protection. the issue is they don't get to pick the 15 seconds so they have to be ready all the time. they do a great job of preparing our soldiers to understand the risk that will become when they do deploy and many of our soldiers have been in numerous times and understand that. it is changing and we continue to take a hard look at that. the green on blue incident inside the news where you have afghan soldiers who are police attack coalition or attack u.s. members, that continues to get much less as we mitigated that through our own training with different programs to provide overwatch, the afghans did a much better job on vetting soldiers and police and how they do their training. that has gone way down and we feel we can't get come miss -- complacent. force protection is in our mind and we work hard in

predeployment and when they're in country they're continually reminded and go through processes to make sure they don't become complacent. >> i want to ask one followup in our discussions with president ghani we talked about the threat of isis and the potential for isis to grow in afghanistan and their most recent recruiting efforts. does that concern you? can you talk about what those challenges are going to be? not just in the short term but the long term? >> again, thank you for the question. it is a potential threat. it's how president ghani used that concern to him so it's a concern to me. we take a hard look at that. we engage with our afghanistan security partners in make sure we see what they see. we come together to discuss that potential threat. i would tell you right now we have seen some recruiting in different parts of the country. we have seen some night letter drops. we have not seen it

operationaleyed or not seen money come in or seen the forces gather and prosecute targets but it's a potential threat for afghanistan and pakistan. so is a said in my opening comments, it is an area where afghanistan and pakistan can continue to work together to go after a potential threat that has already displayed how horrendous they will be and the afghan security institutions and the army and police told me they will not let happen the dynamics in afghanistan are different than iraq. with the sunni prosecution, how that's been iraq the political piece, this is not just -- didn't just happen. this has been building for years and years in syria and iraq, and in afghan it's a different dynamic with the culture that you have there as well. and -- but we'll see and it will continue to monitor it to make sure that we have a strategy that can attack it on a short, term and mid-term and long-term.

>> thank you. >> mr. ashford. >> thank you mr. chairman and thank you, general campbell. i can tell you that when we went to see general ghani he would so terribly appreciative of your efforts and all the efforts of our military and our support personnel. incredible. also happy to hear from president ghani of his relationship with the university of nebraska at omaha and the afghan study program, so i was glad to hear that and i want to thang congressman wilson, the chairman of our subcommittee forks his leadership and also my two colleagues. it was an immensely important opportunity for me and our district to see what was going on. just -- we had -- we went to obviously to jordan and iraq and afghanistan so we got the entire picture in a way.

and congress woman stefanik asked a critical question. we have many fewer members of the armed services in iraq than we do in afghanistan and for historic reasons and for reasons you have discussed. could i just ask you to comment just a little more on this situation? if the isis situation becomes more -- already is very dangerous but more troops from the american side are necessary or whatever the eventuality might be, can youmeter on the real estate palestine president ghani did -- relationship. president ghani talked about his pakistani -- his openings to pakistan, he discussions with pakistan, which seemed very positive. but this threat in syria and iraq which is growing, but we're containing to a certain degree, that it's the same

middle east area. how do you -- cue comment more on that interrelationship. what if it becomes more difficult for the iraqi forces to be successful in their country? thank you. >> sir, can't comment on the iraqi forces. i can comment on the afghan forces. the senior leadership of the police and army told me on several occasions they will not let what happened in iraq happen in afghanistan. they're very determined about that. gone out of their way to tell that to me. that question has been raised many different instances and as they talk to leadership and talked to the president. the president brings it because he wants people to understand that the environment in afghanistan continues to evolv. it's a dynamic involvement and he doesn't want his forces to become complacent and wants them to understand what happened in syria and iraq and the network in jump staged and growing to this network, it evolves very quickly, and he schussants to

make sure his forces and his intelligence services are taking a look at everything and making sure it doesn't get a foot hold inside of afghanistan and continues to spread, and he can be helped with this association with pakistan pakistan because they have the same issues and that understanding they have a common enemy they can work together will help them. so looking at this hard he gets several security updates a day and the isil piece is on his mind, but in the national security council meetings i sit in, he has all the senior cabinet folks that is a point of discussion, most of them. but i think they view it as a potential threat and ensuring they have a strategy moving forward and that will evolve over time. >> thank you, general. i yield back my time at this point. i had a question about pakistan but i'm sure it will be asked and answered. thank you. >> mr. zinky. >> thank you mr. chairman.

and general. it's always good to see you again. i sleep better at night knowing you're there. the former deputy commander and act commander of special forces in iraq i think we left iraq too soon. i think when we left iran -- iraq on a timeline rather than conditions on the ground it affected the sunnis. we disenfranchised them i believe. we isolated the kurds. we to a great inpoured a centralized government to be noninclusive and the result was a vacuum and the vacuum was filled by isis mitchell concern is we don't repeat the same model in afghanistan. looking forward, what would you consider to be your three priority conditions, and what is that end strength to support that, and lastly, in my experience having the detention

center at least a temporary detention center, gave us the ability to rapidly turn around sensitive site exploitation and do follow-on missions in a timely manner that made a difference on the ground and not having the ability to have a detention center at least a temporary detention center to me would adversely affect your ability when you find a target to rapidly turn around and do followup missions. if you'd comment on that whether it does adversely affect your ability to turn-around. >> thank you, hsu for your service and thank you for the questions as well. i can officer the last one first and come back to the isil piece on intelligence. intelligence drives operations and that's what we train still in our afghan partners. all operations should be intelligence based and we work that very hard. we do have a very good relationship with the mo and i in the mod and the nds this spill service, and as they have the detainees we work in

relationship to make sure we can partner with them and the intelligence information they get from their detainees, we try to make sure we can get that information as well because it impacts our force protection and we can help guide them. they are building a fusion cell which combines mod, mo and i nbs togethers, lesson wed learned over years and years. they're stove pipped where they are now so you have mi on and missouri od and nds working off pieces and we're trying to force sharing. they're testing this with a pilot in northern helmund and we're seeing good success off this as they share intelligence and understand that it makes them a better capable force as they get this intelligence, turn it squibbingly to drive to other targets. so i think our relationship over the last 13 years of work with them at the ministry levels no and at the core levels we have relationship to enable to make sure we can help them with that intelligence.

so i feel comfortable where we're at. still a lot of work to do with that. they don't hey the same isr or plat foreigns to provide us. we share where we can but we got make sure we continue to build their capabilities. so we're working on how we build the intel capability. intelligence is one of the eight essential functions that we continue to build at all the ministry levels. my senior deputy chief of staff for intelligence the j2, major general scottie barrier was a centcom j2 before this assignment and is the senior intel adviser that i have in country and shrank both the mo and i mod to build the intel capability. so i feel much better than where we were and that's going to help all of news the end. on the isis piece on conditions, i take a look every day and assess different conditions. time is one condition. number of people on the ground both from a coalition perspective and from a afghan security institution perspective is another condition. i think i take a look at all

those. i really do want to take a look at what happens after the first full fighting season where the afghans are totally on their own. they led for the last two years but this is the first time they really are on their own and we really are just in train advise and assist and don't have resewerses to provide for them and they are working very hard on their own capacity for close air support and intelligence. i can't give you a number i would feel comfort able with. i need to let this play out. i believe the best thing we can do to hedge against afghanistan not becoming an iraq our number one priority would be to continue the train advise and assist to build their own capacity and capability in clothe air support, special operating forts which increase their ct capability and president ghani said many times he is a strategic partner and wants to build the afghan ct capables so down the road they

have and we'll continue to work with them on that. >> i'll follow up on the deextension centers -- detention centers. do we have the ability to be present during initial interrogations and interviews or is this separate? >> the gentleman's time has expired. is there a -- one sentence answer gentlemen? >> i'd rather cover that in a closed session and give your more detail on that. >> all right, sir, thank you. >> miss graham. >> thank you mr. chairman and thank you, general. it's very -- so good to hear some good news. so thank you for your report. one thing that you stated is that the terrorist appeal has been undercut in afghanistan. that is something we need to figure out how do we bring that reality into other places in the region. my question focuses on local law

enforcement. i'm aware that recently that prime minister ghani has changed the loaded of the local police force and what is the interact action between military and law enforcement? my husband those be law enforcement, and i know how important it is to have that close relationship. it's often those close toast us that can have the greatest impact on our behaviors. is the military involved in work with local law enforcement and do you see that as a positive development with the changes in law enforcement recently in kabul? thank you. >> thank you for the question. in afghanistan it really is -- we talk about pillars and the security pillars of the police and army two different pillars. i tell people when the pillars -- they work together, the army and police, then they are much stronger and they can't

be beat. and i attend a saturday three four hour session every saturday which we call the senior security shira and had the senior members of mod and moi and nds this intel arm and the than secured advicer and the police and the army interaction is daily every day. the police operate at differently. they have the law enforcement aspect and continue to work through that but in many places they are the only security institution in the far reaches of afghanistan and so they are a threat to the insurgents. the afghan local police which provide security in the vinals are the most attacked. they have the least amount of training-don't have the same weapons as the regular police or army and they do get attacked, but they do stand up and protect and are feared by the taliban and insurgents because they're directly linked to the people in the communities. the linkage between the police

and army is a strong one. they continue to work it inch the provinces they have what would i call occpoocr, institutions they governors have that have police, army and intel folks altogether inside one operational command and control element at both the regional at the provincial level, and they provide interaction between the police and army. they sit right next to each other in desks and work that and interact with higher hawks, which has police and army. my my headquarters in kabul i have army -- afghan army representatives, afghan police that sit right next to each other inside of my combined joint operationser in as well. so that interaction is very good. and if i can hit the intel piece or the terrorist appeal less than ten percent of the people in afghanistan embrace the taliban and that us because of the action owes the taliban and they understand the civilian

casualty piece, although reports that 70% are caused by insurgents our records show above 90% are caused bid the terrorists and people are tired of this and they want a better life. they want the exact same thing we want. they want to be able to send their kids to school, have roof over their head, job to provide for them, and so they understand they need this national unity government, 85% of the people want the government to do well and they're tired of what the taliban and what they represent. and so that's a big change from where we were just a couple years ago. >> well, thank you very much for that positive report. i want to correct myself. president ghani. get his title correct. and let's hope that what you have accomplished in afghanistan will continue and can be spread throughout the region. thank you for your time, general in your service. >> thank you mr. chairman. thank you, general, for being here mitchell question is, think

it's been fairly disconcerting how much information when it comes to operational security the president of the united states has given out and how we read it every day in the media. we learn about the withdrawal the troop size we learn as the taliban does at the same time, all kind of unbelievable information, and i guess -- to kind of follow up on my colleague's comment -- i don't want to ask you this for public disclosure but i want to ask this or in in writing if want to know the detailed plan b. what are the flags and signs that are going to trying-under ore reengagement should this go awry? i want to know that we do have a plan, and i don't want too ask it in public for everybody in the world to listen because it does concern me but i would ask for you to provide that in writing or classified briefing, what are we looking for that's going to happen so we don't end up again with more loss of blood and life and engagement for america as we look at iraq. my other question is, on the new

aumf with isil as you understand your role -- i attended a briefing a couple months ago somebody was here from the state department, and we talk about current rules of engagement pertaining to afghanistan with the train-advise and -- i as we know isil is networking all over the part of the world we know isil is looking around and recruiting in afghanistan. my question was, under this current operation you're under, if isil's identified by american troops afghan national security forces and are trained and advised and assist mode that we're in, can we absolutely destroy isil when they're identified and the answer from the state department, no, ma'am, they would not be considered a threat to the united states at that point. my comment was i would consider the fact that we're at war with them and the mere excessins of isil means we should destroy them in your role right now what is your understanding when isil

is identified? are they taken out or given a pass? >> thank you for your question. we don't talk about rules of engagement obviously in the tactics and techniques and procedures that go with that. i would just answer that and say i'm comfortable with the authorities i have today that i can prosecute the mission both from a ct perspective and from a train, advise and assist perspective, and also protect the forces i have. i can't go into the rules -- >> i understand. >> in this environment. >> i would other like to have a conversation or some kind of followup at that time takes about that. >> absolutely. >> and then also, with this new aumf what's the difference going to be in how you can engage isis now? do you see further gains -- more advantages than you do now? >> i haven't seen the final written document that has gone through. i've glanced through pieces of. i know there's no geographical boundaries which would happen in afghanistan. i'd have to do a more detailed look. right now i have the authorities

that i need to be able to prosecute the ct and the train, advise and assist mission i have. i can come book to you on the aumf and how that impacts '15, and more importantly for me as we transition into '16 and beyond. >> in relation to the size of troops and troop strengths 10,000, 5,000, compared to what you're doing right now, what additional kinds of missions and what additional kind of coverage do you have right now that you're going to lose? if that's something we can't talk about here, i'd like to have a conversation about that. we're talking about drawing down from 10,000 to 5,000. what do we actually lose there? and again what steps are in between there that talk about for our purposes of the train, assist and -- assist the afghany forces. what does that mean? how much coverage are the afghan forces going to be having to do on their san antonio what does that mean as far as risk? i understand probably can't talk about that here but i want to follow up answers to those

questions so we know as members of congress, who are voting on the new iaum there is a plan and we're not going to -- i don't think anybody can take anybody's word for anything. we may have all the faith in the world of this new president but we see how things can change on a dime and we owe it to the american public to see there is a plan, even in a classified setting. so i look forward to your responses. i yield back my time. >> thank you ma'am. >> mr. o'rourke. >> thank you mr. chairman. general, i'd first like to thank you and those who serve and have served under you including the bulldog big grade from fort bliss in el paso, texas, for the incredible job you are doing and have none afghanistan, and i join my colleagues in just thanking you for this terrific performance, which goes beyond any claims that someone could make or anecdote but actually by

the numbers and bill the pictures, and what my colleagues were able to see in their recent visit. i agree with many comments made so far i think there are many lessons we can apply from your success, this country's success in afghanistan, to our operations and objectives in iraq. when it comes to the proposed aumf we're considering to combat isis my understanding that the immediate goal is to stop isis and ultimately to degrade, defeat and destroy isis. what is our goal in afghanistan relative to the taliban? >> sir thanks. i do believe that, again, on the aumf -- -- maybe in a closed hearing we can do that. on the taliban piece, would tell

you our goal is to build the afghan capacity both in their police and in their army to be able to have the secure stable afghanistan for the future. the taliban and their message is not having any traction with the afghan people. as i said in my opening comments it is time for the afghan taliban to look at what they're trying to do and become part of the political progress. president ghani in his inauguration speech opened the door for them to come back and work hard on reconciliation, which could be a game-changer down the road. that has to work with pakistan and where tray go and afghanistan as they build their security force capability. i do believe that they want to get the taliban to where they are part of the afghan vision moving forward and kill ago afghans is not part of the vision. and so they have to operate from a position of strength and i think 352,000 afghan security forces and other 30,000 afghan

local police with them that capability, and the taliban now are looking around and saying the coalition forces signed a psa, a sofa they're going to provide train, assist and advise, but we have been trying to hereby -- we have 20 come in -- we have to come inch it's because the afghan security force drive this, not the coalition. >> to that point we're seeing record casualties and losses from the afghan security forces, and thankfully and much to do i think with your leadership and the service of our men and women tone ground diminished casualties from coalition forces, or military commanders have asked for additional flexibility. something i think makes a lot of sense, and fully endorse. given the lessons we learned from iraq and are learning from

iraq. i'm assuming that flexibility includes the ability for air strikes, raids against terrorists and those who seek to do us harm. to the degree you can offer clarity, what will you have to see on the ground in that country to recommend that we no longer need that flexibility and that we can meet our -- in 2016, our goal of having normal embassy level of protection? again, through numbers or as clearly as you can describe what that condition has to look like for you to make that recommendation. >> sure. if i could address the casualty piece first and tell you is a talk about, five to seven percent, probably larger, more increasing than 2013 but again, if you put it in context it is about the operational tempo that both the police and army had,

four times greater than in 2013, and 100,000 coalition were not out there. so it was expected that casualties would rise. one casualty is too much. what we continue to focus on is, one, continue to improve the afghan capability to reduce the wounded and works on their med-evac and doctors and combat medics and life-saver capabilities. that continues to progress. and then also the recruiting piece. they've got that much better. they don't recruit all year around like our service do they stop during the summer and the fighting season. now they've got a process in place to do it year, round and doesn't ebb and flow like that. the casualty piece is not from -- the attrition rate is not just based on casualties. the number one reason is leadership and making sure they have the right leadership. so what it would take moore me to recommend that we continue

transition and work a glide slope differently would be to make sure the seams and gap wes fired for a very long time we need to continue to work on the afghan security forces and ministries, we rev gotten them to a level they can have the processes without it. the areas of aviation, we build up. their close air support. when we're building their close air support. and when i gate request that says, can you fly close air support, asked them first you have a quick reaction force. have fire your mortars or artillery, taken your 17s on system you have a few mi30s. have you used those? we try to get those out there to make sure they're work through the processes we are working md530 abilities helicopter, 250 caliber machine guns on the sides. they won't have much for the next fighting season but that will continue to develop, and we're working on a fixed wing

capability to provide support in the future. once we get the aviation support and get their intelligence, wok on their sustainment. continue build their special forces capability i'd feel much better as the close the gaps on the seams we had out there. >> thank you. >> thank you mr. chairman. general, the president stated policy is to take our strength from 10,800 troops in afghan down to 5,000 tropes by the end of 2015. in your best professional military judgment is that the right end strength at the end of 2015? >> it's about 5500 by the end of december, and the options i provided i think provide flexibility both for president ghani and as the commander on the ground to take a look at force protection and how to get after the train, advise and assist. >> in 2014 the afghan security force lost over 20,000 personnel

to dissessions and deaths. does that -- desertions and deaths. does that concern you? >> the numbers, if you put them into cop text we are working to make sure that doesn't have an impact and hasn't had a severe impact on readiness. any dissergeants or casualty would concern me, concerns their leadership, concerns the president, but again, it is about having processes in place to bring those people onboard to keep them in and it really isn't about the combat casualties. that's a fraction of it. but a lot of the dissergeants is on leadership and make shearing people are looking at them and saying, are they getting paid? have the right living condition. >> theirs a correlation between our drawdown our cutting troop biz half and their dessertations. >> my gut would tell me know. >> you cause the islamic state. as the commander of u.s. forces

in afghanistan you suggest that isis is your priority -- one of your priority intelligence requirements custom share with the panel -- what's going on with isis in afghanistan. >> py r, party intelligence requirement, have several of those. that's not my only pir so as we tack a look -- and talking to president ghani, we did a deep dive with all the security agencied and intel agencies inside of afghanistan to look at what they were doing. i said i need to learn more about this, and one way is to make it a pir for my intel folks, so as we go through a number of thing wed take a look at as we allocate resources, because it is a pir it will get more -- a bert looker at and it provide me more continued updates on that. that's why i did that. again, concern for president ghani and concern for me.

could grow rapidly. at this state, the term that's been out there is nascent. it is a nascent organization but again, as we talk about, it agree very quickly in iraq and syria. they have the potential to jump over different stages and build a network and we want to make sure we're looking at the heart. so making it a pirgys me better visibility. >> pret reports indicate that rau ow f was killed in afghanistan in a drone stroke help was called a figure actively recruiting for isis in afghanistan, specifically helmund, where coalition troops withglue october. can you confirm these reports? >> this is in the "washington post." >> yes, sir. it's been a lot in the media. rauf kadeem, was designated as a deputy amir of isil inside afghanistan,ty amir of what the

call a core son, which is pakistan,s afghanistan, in that area, was actually a ttp from pakistan so this was the guy that said i'm the deputy amir. some -- >> before you -- i've got one minute left. so a few more questions -- >> the answer is yes. >> okay, you're aware. when you think about rauf, he was taliban commander, detained at gitmo, released. we turned him over to the afghanistan detention facility where he escaped and became a recruiter for isis. are you aware of all this? >> i'm aware from gitmo he was under afghan control if don't know detail only the escape. >> look at the ndaa we have to make decisioned about gitmo. does it concern you our troops in afghanistan are fighting the same enemy twice? >> it concerns me they're fighting any enemy. if it's once or twice i'd have the same concern,. >> in your best military

judgment is closing gitmo at this time knowing that 30% of the people are going back into the war is that good or bad judgment? >> that's a policy question. i'm a military guy. i don't want to get drug into that policy. i want to make sure i have the ability cans if people are come bag into afghanistan i have the ability to make sure i'm comfortable with the assurances that afghanistan or whatever country makes when they release people and turn them over to another country, have the ability to understand what assurances we have these people will not attack coalition forces again. i want to make sure i'm tied into that. >> thank you mr. breezy. >> thank you mr. chairman. i want to ask the general a couple of questions based on the popular opinion poll he gave us here, and i was talking about afghans expressing confidence in the new government. do you have any sort of sense of how afghan feels as far as

confidence is concerned with afghan capabilities post u.s. or u.s. -- post u.s.-draw-down? >> again, like anything else i think they understand the capable that just having the coalition with them provides and a lot of it is just giving system confidence. as i've taken a look at close air support as an example gunshot asked, i need close air support. i tell the afghans don't plan your operation dependent on close air support. the taliban doesn't have close air support or humvees or how winters doesn't have the weapons you have. so, a part of it is just leadership again and then having the confidence to take the fight to the enemy. itself you go on the streets of kabul and engage in 80% percent of the people they would tell you they're thankful for the cools, they want the coalition around.

they're more comfortable if they have coalition because it knows from helping out security forces and also provides then the opportunity to engage. i think they would tell you that they fell comfort able with the coalition presence. >> all right. exactly. what about with a u.s. drawdown and how would that be perceived in the terror community? how do you think that people in the terror community wonder if the taliban or outside of the taliban, outside of afghanistan how do they view the afghan capability as far as being able to protect their own country? >> sir thanks. i'd go back if i can answer the last one a little more in detail there was at different points in time a sense of abandonment if you talk to some afghans but for the most part the security forces as they get the message out and show the people of afghanistan what they've capable of that increases their confidence that the afghan security forces can handle this.

so there was easterly on some abandonment type discussion going on. i have not seen that, quite frankly, in the last several months at the afghan security forces continue to get better and better. on the terror community that you talked about, i think they were thinking that the coalition would be gone after 2014. and that they would wait that out. i think with the ps and sofa signed they understand that for many, many years, we'll have continued commitment by the international community to remain in afghanistan, both in some number butanals resources provided to afghanistan, and again, think that the time has come they have to become part of the political process and get back into being part of afghanistan. they can't have afghans killing afghans and muslims killing muslim. it's a sign of strength that president ghani on his first day of office signed the bs and sofa and the message sent to the terrorist community is we

thought it was going away and it's not. >> thank you mr. chairmaned. lead back my time. >> thank you. mr. cook. >> thank you mr. chairman. general first of all is i want to commend you on your testimony, your years of service and combat piece, can't add up all the deprime ministers you have been through. so what i wanted to address is something that isn't here and it's of concern to our nato partners. maybe under the radar. that's the situation of the poppy, and the drugs and the corruption that -- from a rational viewpoint it affects europe. how are we doing on -- can you comment on the status of that and where it's going right now? >> sir, thank you for the question. there's been a lot of different reports on the cultivation of poppies and what the impact it has financially for the

insurgents in the area. a lot of that coming out of the helmund area. media reports say that increased over the last couple of years as opposed to going down president ghani talked about and it is looking hard at a strategy at how he goes after that and deals with the people that produce it, that deals with the insurgents thattite for their gain. they looked at different options one there they have quite good record of a small task force that goes after and seizes different places and for lack of a better term, drug labs that produce what comeds out of there, but quite frankly, has not been enough and the strategy there has not taken that away from the insurgents. that is not part of my taa or part of my ct mission. so i can't comment further on that piece of it, but bottom line it does provide fuel, financial assistance to the taliban, and we have -- and the

government of afghanistan is looking hard how they combat that. >> thank you. the relationship with -- has improved with the military. the equipment. at one time we were always concerned about the equipment bang -- backlog going through pakistan. are we in pretty good shape right now? he had cop tapers stacked up to the sky and just a quick update. >> thank you for the question. the logistical community and what our nation has done with retrograde of equipment is phenomenal. when people look at this and fully understand the amount of equipment that came out and how it came out this is record-setting. and we're on glide path now and we -- all the numbers we thought we needed to hit coming out of the mission to where we are today, we're on those numbers if

feel vert comfortable. it ebbs and flows how we do that based on the relationship with pakistan, but the relationship with afghan and pakistan is the best i have seen and lat of that is because of the chief of the army in president and then president ghani and how they come together but the retrograde is on a glide slope it have no concerns there. >> i was very happy to hear that. i wasn't to switch spheres real quick. uzbekistan in the north. land locked country. i think they have to have good real estates with pakistan. iran's a whole new ball game as you know. what the relationship with us a beck stan right now? i know at one time they're working on the bridge or i think it was the train going down there. is that still ongoing or >> i haven't seen a final piece where they've signed an mou,

memorandum of understanding. i know that president ghani has personally reached out to all the countries in the region. he has visited many of them. i don't think in the last couple of months he visited uzbekistan but has talked to the senior leadership and they talk about the bridges and sharing of intelligence back and forth how and how they can fight different insurgents, a lot in the north is around criminal activity as opposed to insurgent piece. there's arms trafficking, drug traffic. so they're working together hitch has sent senior members of his administration to different countries around. i can find out but i know that -- i think several members of season positions in afghan have visit uzbekistan as well. >> thank you for your service. i yield back. >> miss duckworth. >> thank you mr. chairman. general, thank you for being here today. at a time of sequestration, when we are cutting our funding for

u.s. forces here in the u.s. and looking at everything from shutting down commissaries on bases to adjusting retirement benefits for forces, we're looking at future expenditures in afghanistan. i have concerns that we have sufficient oversight how the afghans are spending the money wire providing them with the resource, and specifically you mentioned their lack of self-sustaining capability. i'd like too look at their ability to account for personnel. we talked about already the over 20,000 attrition in the afghan forceses that has been reported. i rely on the special inspector general's -- for afghan reton instruction's report as too what's going there on and i see there have been some real concerns. the numbers of afghan military and police forces fluctuates

significantly, sometimes from quarter to quarter by as much as 20,000 or 40,000 personnel. i'm worried we're spending this money, not spending as mush on our u.s. forces here, but those 40,000 troop fluctuations, are those best case scenario and accounting error? those folks were never there or they quit or were we paying for folks that were never there? ghost soldiers that were on the books. so, can you talk at bit about how we are providing oversight for the afghans and help to them to figure out how they can gate handle on their forces and how they're spending this money we're providing? >> yes, ma'am. thank you for your service as well. that's always a very very tough, complex thing to get your hands around people. in our own army, as you know, we have hard time sometimes figuring out exactly who is

present for duty and who is not. many figures you have seen in the last several days on numbers -- first off, we need to make sure that members of congress have total transparency on everything that we're doing inside of afghanistan, and we're committed to provide cga and congress everything they need to do that. some things are classified and back in august so this is nat new story but back in august when i got through asked to take a look at all information going out to the press and everybody else, and i said anything that is readiness data and sometimes numbers of people and how you take a look at that could be construed as readiness data. i said anything that is readiness dat for a the afghans need to be classified. we can't just put them out because beer wholly dependent on the afghans for our own force protection i need have their readiness dat classified. the u.s. army's readiness dat

tase classified all service dat tis classified. so that decision was made in august. i re-affirmed with president ghani inch tact he approached me about having that kind of data classified. and again here in the last two week or so i went back and said i want too make sure you're comfortable because i'm getting asked a lot of questiones on this. he was absolutely adamant that afghan data that pertained to readiness data was classified. so i feel very comfortable and have not changed my mind. readiness data is classified. ...

where members of potentially cigar went to a lower headquarter in number so we have to do a much better job at my headquarters to make sure we have processes in place that we can provide the right data at the right time. we have to have a better procedure to do that and we are working on that. i just signed a standard operating procedure to consolidate how we worked out. we have over 50 probably 62 different audits going on inside of afghanistan from sigar to aaa to dod ig 60-plus and so as we transition i don't have the

people in the country to do all that. i'm dependent upon reach back or otherwise and we have to come up with a way to figure out how we provide audit data but at the same time continue to transition. i don't have the capability and i have to raise that with my own leadership as we go forward. the numbers is on the last couple of days i think there's a miscommunication. what i learned from "the new york times" not be sigar that these numbers will be replaced. i contacted sigar and said we need to take a hard look at this data you are getting to release. i don't think it's right. i learned him to that and they stopped the release of that peace and we are looking hard at how we can continue to work making sure every piketty -- everybody gets the right data. >> thank you mr. chairman. >> thank you. mr. scott. >> general thanks for being here. if there's one thing we have learned over the last several months it is that the people of the country have to be willing to hold that country and i'm

speaking specifically of iraq. afghanistan obviously had a very different country. i think from the context of the american citizen may be the way talking about perception it's all one and the same issue if you will. and i do think that we need to do a better job of getting that message out when we do have the victories because all of america is hearing right now is the bad that is happening in the middle east so thank you for your service. one of the issues you talked about a couple of times close air support. obviously in north afghanistan to be a success they have to hold the country from the taliban and other terrorist organizations. we are hopefully completely out of their the afghanistan air force, the 829 light air support mission right now is currently they are being trained at the air force base.

if you speak to that element in and how critical it is, the air support being able to carry out their own air support long-term hand how many 829 steel expects we should be prepared to provide for the afghanistan air force? >> thanks for the question and again we are very thankful in georgia that they have the capability to provide the training for the a29's. it's a long process. looking in hindsight i wish it would have started that years ago and it ago and they do have that capability but we are where we are and what's happening in training the pilots in training the maintainers for this fixed-wing close air support capability is critical for afghanistan as we move into the future. quite frankly we can't get it quick enough for them. the current program has about 20 aircraft over the next three years that will come to afghanistan. we won't have money for this fighting season.

we will get some at the end of the year and a couple more before they started fighting season 16 but most of them will come out and 17 and 18 so that's the reason we need to have this train advise-and-assist for the next several years on the air force base. but it's a great capability and they're looking forward to it. i think it will give them and the people in that region will understand the afghans have this air support capability. we will work that another way seminar term with forward firing machine guns with mv 530 this little bird i talked about and they have indirect fire mortars at the 30 howitzers that will continue to work with them on different ways to improve that capability. this is a huge pass their looking forward forward to to get into afghanistan. >> again we have to make sure that when we leave that country that country is prepared to hold and govern themselves.

just the situation in iraq right now is certainly lessons learned the hard way if you will. mr. chairman i don't have any further questions. thank you for the a29 mission at the air force base. i would be happy to have you down there and with that ideal the remainder of my time. >> mr. courtney. >> thank you mr. chairman and thank you general for your endurance and service. tomorrow night at the state armory in hartford there's going to be a sendoff for the connecticut army national guard 182nd police battalion. we are heading off to afghanistan and first of all they were given noticed almost 60 days ago to the day that they were being sent over and i realize this is not sorted in your lane in terms of making the decisions about reaching into guard and reserve units. what i would say is that frankly

there are folks who are scratching their heads that if we are to force level of 10,000 you know guard and reserves i think there's an understanding and acceptance back during the surge days when we had hundreds of thousands of people in the middle east tapping into the guard at this point and frankly doing it with almost the bear notice required by law as something that again folks are struggling with. so first of all i guess i would ask you and i don't mean to put you on the spot if you are in front of those families tomorrow night what you would share with them and i'm not asking you to explain the decision-making process because i realize that happened somewhere else in terms of your command. but again as their leader in afghanistan what would be your thoughts that you would share with the family's? >> sir thank you and again all of our service could not do what

we do without our military families so i thank them for their sacrifice, for having to allow us to have that soldier continued to serve. i tell them what they are getting ready to do to things. it's a very important mission and will mean a great deal to the afghan people but also provide for our security back here. i would ask them to watch out for each other and always take care of brothers and sisters on their left and right to make sure force protection is always foremost in mind and to never get complacent. they do have a very important job. many times would i tell the soldiers and sailors and marines over there is sometimes they're too close to it and they can't see some of the changes we talked about earlier and people serve for different reasons. but they do serve because they know they are serving for the greater good and when i come to afghanistan i tell them whatever you do make that place better than when he found it. i think i've seen over the years that we have continued to do that. they will have an impact on

whatever they do, whoever they touch and sometimes it's an impact that they can put into words. i would tell you their service would be honored and they will feel good about what they have done after they leave. i can't speak to the service provider piece, only for many years our national guard and u.s. army reserve have played an important role both in iraq and afghanistan and we continue as we move forward so i appreciate their service. >> will thank you and i will share those thoughts. frankly, as we wrestled with the drawdown in force reduction and sequestration in the budget control act is sort of has reignited a little bit of this sort of tension about whether or not the guard and reserve are in parity in terms of the rest of the forces and began the fact that they got this order to head over again at a time when maybe the average person wouldn't

think that is consistent with the rest of the force level underscore simi the value that active duty still believes exists in terms of the guard and reserve units. they have done yeoman's work during both conflicts in iraq and afghanistan. and you know they deserve all the kudos and appreciation that they can possibly give them so again thank you for your comments and i will pass them along and i yield back. >> thank the gentlemen. mr. jones. >> mr. chairman thanks and mr. mr. -- general campbell thank you for your new staff for being here today. i'm going to take a little different approach. i looked at your narrative in the comments by the senator who is retired and he says i cite these opinion polls that we haven't achieved anything and he's critical of the people who don't think we have achieved

anything by saying they end up with the people that are 7000 miles away think we haven't. i would say to the senator it's those people back home that are paying the bills. they need to get something out of the tax dollars that they are paying. when we went into afghanistan in 22,000 month a debt of our nation was $5.95 trillion. today it is over $18 trillion in debt and you know from your brothers and sisters in the military what we are faced with budgets. then i read in a blog from yesterday by jason dietz between casualties and assertion afghan military is shrinking fast. the desertion problem is a long-standing one with many afghans signing up for the military sticking around long enough to get their first

paycheck and then bailing and often taking their weapons with them as they sort of severance package. then in the guardian yesterday afghan officials sanction murda -- murder torture and rape says the report and i realize this is from human watch. we can have our views on that whether it's a liberal group or a conservative group whatever that's fair but they still write this and apparently there has been no dispute it and i'll just read one paragraph. the report focuses on eight commanders and officials across afghanistan, some of them counted among countries is powerful men and key allies for foreign troops. some are accused of personally inflicting violence and others of having responsibility for government forces that commit the crimes. i know some good things that happen have happened that i don't question that at all but afghanistan has been proven a

wild west. but my concern is, we have nine more years of a financial commitment and a military commitment which might be limited in numbers but they are still young men and women walking the roads to be shot at it and have their legs blown off. i just wonder because when congress are going to be grappling with sequestration issues. the chairmen and ranking member who are doing a great job are very concerned about the military budget. i think all of us here are as well. i know i am and camp lejeune in my district that i get to a point that i just want to not talk about you. you are an outstanding and great military person but will there ever be any one in the diplomatic corps or the military that says you know we have done about all we can do?

some things are impossible. yes, some people will benefit but when i read reports like this whether they be from the left or the right, pat buchanan is one of my biggest euros. ron paul is one of my dearest friends and i continue to see nine more years of spending money that we don't have so we can decrease the number and our military? it doesn't make any sense. i know you don't make the policy decisions and i understand that but will there ever be someone who follows behind you and follows behind me that will be honest to the congress and the american people have to pay the bill? have we done about as much as we can do? >> sir thanks for the question. sir i would answer it like this. again, quite frankly this is the world we live in. it may not be the world they want and i think the complexity of the world we live in is a generational piece that's going

to go on long after you and i are out of here and we need to understand that and look at it as a generational issue and put strategies and policies in place that will get up this long term. not going to change overnight and i think we just have to change our mindset on on where we are at it i think the american people are well served by the great men and women who continue to raise their right hand and serve knowing that they can go into harm's way knowing that despite trying to do something bigger than themselves that they are going to face going into services that's going to have budget issues that's going to take it away so i think this is a long-term issue we have to get out. but i am pleased about is you know you mentioned all those different ports and there are challenges not only in afghanistan but i do see afghanistan as a place because of the significant investment in lives and financial that we have provided to them that this can

be the bright spot that this is for lack of a better better term and strategic plan that will carry on in this part of the world that is a very complex dangerous part and for little continued investment we can make this a shining light on central asia and that part of the world. i think we have to start someplace and afghanistan is the good news story among all these other bad things that are coming out. for every bad news report you just mentioned are probably nine or 10 good news that doesn't get out because as you know good news doesn't sell. i give president gandhi a good new storyboard that i collect each week that i have my commanders provide me me with a good new storyboard that talks about the good things about answer doing in different areas. when i meet with him i say dr. abdullah here are some good stories. you are not hearing about it in the news that you need to know this is out here and they give him 10 or 15 powerpoint slides with pictures sewing -- showing good news stories in afghanistan

and that word doesn't get out because it doesn't sell. for every suicide that went often coupled there were nine or 10 that were stop so there is good news out there. >> thank you very much mr. chairman, general campbell. thank you for your challenging leadership in afghanistan. i want to quote the 2015 national security strategy in staying quote we must recognize a smart national security strategy does not rely solely on military power. indeed in long-term efforts to work with other countries to counter the ideology and the root causes of violent extremist will be more important. i strongly support this approach general however i am also concerned the persistence we have shown in afghanistan and our presence there can have harmful effects on our long-term readiness. as we drive down to a force capable in protecting our

security interest in the region how will we capitalize and we utilize the equipment, the novas was brought up earlier, that we currently have in the country to protect the readiness of our total force, specifically can you comment on retrograde efforts as they are supported in the fy16 budget and what impact sequestration would have on this effort if sequestration is not repealed? >> thank you maam and thank you for your visit last fall as well well. i haven't looked at the numbers for the retrograde portion for fy16. i will tell you we will continue to need the necessary resources and financial peace to bring back the retrograde rehab in afghanistan so we can put that back into the force. probably 80% of that dallas for the army but the best equipment we have is in have is an afghanistan salinity continued to make sure we get that back get it reset and get that into the force that i do think we are on a glide slope to do that.

we have concerns a year, year and a half ago commander on the ground i don't have the same concerns and we continue to get that back to the army. sequestration from a different perspective i think will impact the readiness of all of our services and again that's why think the service chairman come out and it will have a bad bad impact if we go into sequestration. >> thank you very much general. my second question is recently the first lady of afghanistan said women come to me and say you have forgotten us. i am a strong champion of women's rights and i wonder what can we do working with the afghans and nato to ensure women's rights are respected across the country as we continue to draw down our forces. how are we encouraging are working with the afghan government to ensure greater inclusion of women in civic society? a few years back i traveled with then speaker, leader pelosi and

we visited many of the women leaders in afghanistan and they were very concerned about the future so can you comment on that general? >> thank you maam and we work very hard both in the coalition perspective but president ghani looks hard at how he is working on the gender issues both promote military perspective security perspective in getting women in place and getting in the 25 million that congress approved for the specifically pinpointing to work on these types of issues is very helpful and we are thankful for that support. but it will take time for the police and the army and the police are doing much better than the army quite frankly on integrating women into the forest but we will look very hard as we go through it at the cultural differences they have and make that a little bit tougher. i think they are both committed from the mo i perspective minister of interior and i will engage the minister of defense.

i've engage the chief of army on this. they are always at ways on how they can improve i want to say 24% of parliament as women. i don't think we have that in our own congress so that's very good in afghanistan. president ghani and the first lady have pressed on this in and reaching out as well. i do have a gender adviser for my force from australia that focuses on a lot of different focuses. she engages with their nato partner forces as well to make sure we are doing everything we can to enrich this and continue to keep emphasis on it. >> thank you very much general for your comments and i yield back mr. chairman. >> thank the gentlelady. dr. one strum. >> general thank you so much for your service and taking on the mission that you are taking on. it's encouraging to see the

positives that we don't often hear about. i would agree with you wholeheartedly. i think it was a great move by ghani to be in the sofa and that bodes well for all of us. i think it was probably wise from where i sit for ghani and abdul to come together as partners. my question to you is what are you saying as far as that relationship between the two of them and its effect on any national unity in afghanistan? >> sir thanks, it's a great question. look at this every day and i think both president ghani and dr. abdullah gave up some to continue to have afghanistan move forward. they both did that after a long period there. they work together and spicy mouth up -- both of them together and separately i think they complement each other as they work together. they both have great vision for where they want to take afghanistan and it really is the

people around each of them. they have to continue to work through it and they have run into instances where they have had differences but i think they work hard to make sure as they come out to the public that they have one voice as they move forward. that's not easy all the time but i think they understand how important is so they work toward that from a security perspective and an economic perspective. again they complement each other and i'm honored to have them and engaged with both of them quite a few times. >> in that sense does that carry over into the military in some ways as far as that goes teeshon amongst the military and the moral within the military and afghan forces? >> president ghani is the commander-in-chief and he said that upfront. his interaction with all the security forces is completely different than under president karzai. their morale has gone way up

knowing they have welfare. they visit their wanted in the hospitals and talking to them about changing the authority for corps commanders. he has video teleconferences several times since i've been with him with the senior leadership great he has a national security council meeting every week that he brings in the senior leadership from the police and the army. they are thankful that they do have the commander-in-chief that is taken not only their own welfare but also their families welfare as they look at different ways to about ways to about wanted warriors and those kinds of things. it is quite good. >> with that in mind since they have not been in office very long do you anticipate, the question has come up a couple of times about the deserters. do you anticipate that rate will slow down as a result hopefully?

>> president ghani what he has tried to do is put leadership and that can make a difference so he has taken a hard look at all of those generals. he has retired on the order of 60 officers. they hadn't had any retirement to the last four for five years under president karzai so the last four months they have had about 60-plus. that's infusing new blood and is looking hard at the people he puts into those positions. he has tried to interview every one of his general officers. he is trying to put them based on their merit which is very good. i think leadership is going to change the attrition piece. part of his combat casualties, it's a small piece but the desertion if you look at why people deserve and they have instituted an attrition working group in the army that i have senior advisers on. for a wild winds it to did that to make sure we get after this issue but when you take a hard

look at his leadership it is for instance having a soldier assigned to the 215th. he has been there for years so only knows his combat after combat. they haven't been able to get a motorcycle. they can take leave and have training and they can fight. they are just now starting to have that cyclic force generation process that gives them capability. once they get that into place i do think you'll see the desertion piece. part of it is they are assigned to the 215. you see no future about being rotated to another court and you will always be on it because personal management is not right. they're moving toward that. if they are the 215 at home and if you live up north that takes you days to get back there or you may never get back then when she did get back there you may be out in the fields trying to harvest. you may go past what your 20 days of leave would be and you

are considered a deserter. i think leadership is going to make the difference on the attrition piece. i think president ghani is a big part of that. >> it sounds like logical things to address and if i may mr. chairman one quick question. what percentage of wounded warriors, what percentage of the medical care in theater right now is coming from american personnel would you estimate? >> for the afghan sir? >> for the whole theater. you talk about the wounded warriors. is it u.s. physicians and surgeons taking care of the wended predominately? >> they have their own medical system. i sat down with the army surgeon general and talk to him. they have regional hospitals and we have advisers in different places that continue to work through that. they only come to a coalition facility like in bagram if it's

a very worst-case that they can handle. that has been on view in subsistence i've been there. tonight thank you very much. we will have a chance to be in a classified session and i appreciate it. >> mrs. tsongas. >> thank you general and thank you for hanging in there. i appreciate very much your knowledge and very nuanced testimony. i want to follow-up on congressman -- congresswoman bordallo's comments. i've made six trips to afghanistan and for what the delegation of women generally three republican congresswoman and three democratic congresswoman and our goal has been twofold. it's been over mother's day to thank her women soldiers we commiserate with them knowing how hard it is to be away from home on mother's day as it is for all of those who are serving. we have also had the real opportunity to see the gains have been made for women in afghanistan.

while they are not as widespread as we would like to think kabul has been a prime beneficiary and other urban settings. nevertheless those gains have been real and your report shows that in terms of health care, access to education access to work however limited. as we are drawing down our concern really is that those gains are not somehow traded away. as you have talked about president ghani reaching out and referencing the taliban in his inaugural speech i can tell you that as we meet with women over there those comments sends chills through them. we know how terribly they suffered under the taliban regime. so i think our concern has become how do we protect the gains that have been made? as we have talked today about some of the differences with

afghanistan and iraq it seems to me one of them has been the signing of the bilateral security agreement in that it has set up a very different framework. i think it has given us leverage, a role in afghanistan as it transitions to its next phase. so i'm curious while the security situation is really your world and many of these other games have been investments that have come about through other parts of our presence there how you see the united states role using its ongoing relationship with the government to make sure that let's just say negotiations to go forward with the taliban. how do we use our leverage their their, how do you use your leverage as a representative of the united states to make sure that women's gains remain on the table and they are somehow not traded away as others argue for a path forward in which the taliban are --

to the government. >> maam thank you for your question. i think the leadership has it big part to play. the difference here is president ghani and dr. mueller are committed to this. it's written in their constitution and so as they work with the taliban if there is reconciliation down the road one of the key parameters will be the constitution will hold and it talks about respect of women's rights. again i think with the first lady and president ghani that ambassador mckinley and his team at the embassy, with the 30, 40 plus ambassadors i interact with periodically they'll have this utmost in their mind. it comes up in different settings on that so it's sort of a drumbeat with the senior leadership and the other ministries continue to hear. they understand how important it is that they abide