>> but the situation along the ground if you can get the equipment that our soldiers in friends need to carry out the fight situations all across where contractors are salinas in preventing us from getting men and women the equipment that they need. would that change the fight? >> is a possible lead happen in september 28 may have had a different outcome? >> but that maneuver operations is much better

for closer support stick these lawsuits are costing us more is the point. the at wed we pulled down the troops that 5500 when we pulled the soldiers out, how many are being replaced with contractors? >>. >> going at 5500 but look at what they're doing with that support capability.

>> the bids that it seems to me to pull this down to have that perception as long as they have fewer menander limited uniform would you pull down that be into it to said contractors back kid to do that say meet its three-year four times as much as we paid u.s. service personnel we're not being honest with the cost is impossible to calculate how much more we spend on contractors as u.s. troops?

big we have space done that type of assessment to take a specific contract or a specific program run by a the military then compare the cost. >> if i could make one final point it creates the problem with the united states soldier who makes a couple of thousand dollars a month sitting right next to a contractor who makes $10,000 a month and the soldiers that i talked to, it creates strife in the operation if

we're honest about it. but that is something i am very concerned about. >> on the last round defeat he wanted to say something but i did not give the opportunity to have a current -- do you have a comment? >> the soldiers problem with accountability for afghan soldiers is a real problem that we work closely to understand. also to develop a comprehensive solution lead

while is not fully in place yet working toward the integrated pay system to do mitigate opportunities. it is important initiative to put it in place and it has taken awhile to develop that terrain but it is something we are focused on. in terms of the difference between fighting season and 15 and 16, said general campbell with the secretary of defense with the national security agency has communicated the work to a valuate fighting season in 15 and what changes the afghan forces need to make but we need to make.

it is the clearer focus we're not blindly following the template but actually looking to improve upon so we do set ourselves up for success inset those conditions for the long term mission. >> as that relates to those troops can we be confident by the end of 2016 there is a system in place to have a confident understanding that the military service has? >> we are instituting the biometric id card system. >> with and will they be distributed? >> by edna and middle of the year the integrated personal

system is fully implemented in the middle of this year as well in the be transitioning. >> in terms of our intelligence capability we were surprised of the death and did not know for some time. what do we need to do for better intelligence. >> gone that particular account we need to keep in mind that he was not out there.

with that intelligence perspective he is surrounded by people that doesn't communicate in does not move. in from this particular situation to perpetuate the fact that he was alive. >> are you comfortable we have an of resources on the retuning id afghanistan? >> it is never perfect door never eat enough you can never have enough information. the gaps are zero ways large

in speaking for the agents to do the mission set. >> with the ministry of defense? simic that's correct the project kas was 155 million to be over budget. >> who is the contractor on that? >> i don't have that data. >>. >> who was watching the store on that? >> i think, i have to double

checked it with either the air force contract for corps of engineers. >> get back to us of that. >> absolutely. >> is that the news caused going to be able to be supported? >> i don't know since the afghan government cannot pay for their military i don't know they can pay for that cost that is almost $3 million a year to maintain that building. >> then that will be a white elephant? >> we will pay for that. >> would about of ministry of interior? >> we have a brand-new facility which we visited

and that should be completed soon. at a cost of $100 million. >> on budget? >> no. i don't have those exact figures. >>. >> do we condition in the construction of these buildings on any accountability? >> not that i know of. that is the link the conversation but we did not have any conditionality so basically 2013 was an advocate but they think the

construction started before. >>. >> i agree fully with that. if you have long conversations that have been replaced but it was the whole issue you cannot stop to give them guns or bullets but the shiny objects that the local official ones on condition. that was the approach to the conditionality. >> day you plan to go another round?

civic dell happy to go briefly. >> this navy along a the alliance of suggestions the most vehicles now they can tell you where it is to shut it down to be recovered. it seems recuses save type of technology if it ends up in the hands of somebody we don't want to have that. that we have with every ford vehicle in the country right now. to see the enemy riding

around in the vehicles the united states purchased. coming from 9800 with the personnel that is the plan. >> yes, sir,. >> 50% of men and women with the contractors. >> county will be higher over the next 11 months for men and women in uniform? are they predominantly from the united states or local? >> it is designed to

accomplish the military in that assessment is to focus on that platform from the east to give us that capability and focus to advise and assist at the ministerial level if we think with the afghan air force are the national security forces that is exactly what we need also

leverage contractors in the military assessment. >> but you understand the point? -- eight july down but we put others in the exact same job they're not necessarily carrying rifles. i think the soldiers who are flying it would point out is not who is trading the pilot to send the whole crew of back is just if we get it to you sooner or later.

i don't have any further questions. >> one that many has raised is the fact that they have fallen short in terms of the aviation abilities with mr. scott to get the actual platform but it appears part of the problem is you deal with the population for the most part is illiterate. so whether or not to be too sophisticated for the population we tried to train to commandeer.

>> bay are significant with the afghan air force needs how we should build that force that the government can afford. we do focus technical trading on the high end skills with aviation maintenance with the pile the date of that aircraft that will be necessary to operate the air force that they need that with the sophistication we try to support that system with contract did we in its -- maintenance also increasingly do the maintenance on their own.

with those human capital shortages how we balance and plan for. >> congresswoman he made at a critical point that comes back to the resources that due to the lack of data we do not know right now how many personnel are literate the estimate is less than 30%. why? even though we spent $200 million in literacy training, they don't have the ability because they don't have the resources to measure the effectiveness

that to see it has improved. the literacy program read tide that we lost all visibility but more importantly how many are still in the military? when we ask the questions we're not getting users because the resources are not there sieur onto a very important point do we have adequate resources to understand the capabilities? >> anybody else want to comment?

>> compared to two years ago the threat to personnel i am concerned the embassy and the inability to move around the city of kabul or anywhere else. do you think that danger has increased? in and what can we do to mitigate those concerns? >> since the drawdown the security environment in general has decreased and the withdrawal came alaska of capital so some of the

security environment from that economic instability. so no question is diminished in in callable. there are specific set indicate that the attacks are down overall but from the dod perspective but to take those precautionary measures that they are adequately protected. that with ground movements the lead is one of the calculations how much freedom of movement of that

person know that is moving betted difficult security environment to ensure those that are serving there. >> are they moving on foot at all? >> there are of a couple of spots closer if you're moving out of any component. >> by vehicle? >> yes. >> is both vehicles did air movements. >> the question is what can we do if they are isolated?

to replace them that risk to keep them there? >> they can tell you the frequency but they're not isolated and with that greens known to go to a the headquarters and that the state department is going out. >> ended one respect it is

limited. to be outside of kabul. but we no longer have those people. in ago there on a regular basis and talk to colleagues in maybe they never leave the embassy. the last time i was in the country the state department officials with the securities situation. and as they said they're

very concerned about the safety of american troops coming civilians and contractors in in the realities of the situation is you can be assigned to afghanistan and never leave the embassy. that doesn't mean we should shut down because doing so -- diplomacy is not risk free just like a soldier takes a risk the same thing for a day and state employees. it isn't risk free want to measure that but it takes its toll on the ability to trade. that is the reality of of

the situation in. >> i appreciate your candor because many of our colleagues there is the expectation that there is movement and it is less dire in those other not able to be transferred? day you have any further comments? the image that has been my experience. >> one last question. >> i would ask each member of the panel to give me two examples of success with the failure.

>> i'll start. two examples first of all, this fighting season rehab talked about the problems we have seen in the concerns when it fell to the taliban. if formal we have seen from other elements that one of the course we don't cover to do a very good job to address the dynamic security environment to have the television and threats to

deal with with those operations across multiple aspects in fe dead quite well. i would also say that that was a display and in particular that they be shipping capability to support that is a critical aspect in their were critical after temporarily fell to the taliban and it has been critical in partner operations liken cantar to disrupt in the indian subcontinent.

>> with that special operations capability in particular. in with this fighting season but the other aspects of what we do to be very big successes. to have a partner who was focused to have control but they are prone to corruption in one sense to work together but that being said it is a significant problem and so for the first time to address that challenge.

>> that is a great question i will keep this very simple but two examples of success at the strategic level the fraction of the leadership with peace talks between afghans with the afghan security forces but that this is the exact opposite of what i just highlighted siepi operational level for multiple captures in afghanistan had a strategic level to destabilize the

government with the civil conflict again. >> i would say one success is ownership in that primary land forces that it took in with that program even though it is it perfect and there are areas to work work, there are a key success. in the program from that local area to be tied in with that afghan security in

that displaces the enemy hiding in plain sight. with that ability of that small persistence to put pressure on the taliban of the cooperation's that have the most impact done that the district level with those big operations to have the ability to shift and the thing that they can do better is anticipate with the assault with the attacks

so to anticipate when the enemy does something that is unexpected. >> i would like to follow-up on the comments to deal with the cooperation of national unity government. ed general campbell has insisted odd conditionality i actually met with their president who said i expect conditionality. and that is a great success but the new regime is. so we have stepped up to the plate to get the home run

but success along the same line when we work together we really do succeed that when my agents uncover the up price-fixing we really went to general campbell to explain a we had uncovered we have information in the extra $250 million they went over as a team to merely shut down the contract and set up a procurement commission. >> that is fantastic.

there is still many but up through now is the hundred pound gorilla the $8 billion we have spent on counter narcotics is a total abject failure the only reason the only difference has nothing to do with any of our programs but disease and weather that is the hundred pound gorilla that is what they warned us about years ago afghanistan will become a marco terrorist state. i have not seen anything announced by a the embassy that with some housetop that. be an issue that is the abject failure is we really don't know what the capabilities are of the national security forces those are two serious

failures and concerns. >> that intersection of a strategic improvement based on an oversight beginning with major general williamson to sought out from our organization a hard look with then nato trust fund challenge. but the surprising thing is that the president has said the taliban is not the existential threat but is the loss of confidence of the contributing nations and

to take our report to identify many problems that united states has a system outside the chase of command that therefore could independently assess the problems that the general took that partners to have an impact despite the fact it was bad and that is a very big part of that to translate into the language so with that command it is a

problem that has to be improved but going to the united states congress so we have had several reports like that with the direct funding of would speak to only - - with all the attempts to do good things i was serving to learn with the general was killed. trying to demonstrate his confidence he was meeting with afghan officials and now it is general davis. in to make the difference

with that conditionality on matters he lost his life. >> thank you for your testimony. i yield back. >> i cannot speak to everyone but i can that i have been down there and i can assure you there educated to capable to carry out that mission. one other suggestion might be the leadership of that country is maybe get some crop dusters over there for crowfoot want to be careful how much we spend we will

ship better over there at the right price. thank you for your service. >> in the atlantic council will take a look to stay at the u.s. intervention in iraq and what can be done to stabilize it. that is live tuesday at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span two. >> every election cycle will remind us how important it is for citizens to be an warm. is a political haven for political junkies. >> my colleagues are going to say, i saw you on c-span. >> there's so much more that c-span does.

sure people know what is going on inside the beltway. withncer: coming up, q&a former defense secretary at robert gates. then, the republican presidential primary debate in south carolina at 10:00 a.m. ♪ announcer: this week on "q&a," former secretary of defense and former director of the cia, robert gates. he discusses his book "a passion for leadership: lessons on change and reform from 50 years of public service." brian: robert gates, the council on foreign relations recently had a column which said the next president of the united states ought to read five books on the presidency. yours was at the top on leadership. what would you want the next president to take away from your book on leadership?