in april and may, we saw the insurgency resume in much of central helmand. nonetheless, much of the nature is indicating a possible reduction in some of their operational capacity. for example, the percentage of complex attacks, thhse deploying more than one means of attack, have steadily droppee since its peak in february. the average number of casualty ppis below 2009 levels. the show increased willingness to report itt's and insurgent weapons caches, which suggest growing pockets of confidence among ordinary people and a willingness to support afghan efforts to support government. we're taking a deliberative approach, expanding our efforts to improve local governance in key districts, has operations improve the security situation graduallyy some confidence have expressed -- some in congress have expressed concern. we share this concern and we recognize that there are ways in which our own contracting practices have had unintended consequences, concentrating wealth among are relatively smmll number afghans. general petreaus and admiral mullen have created

we cannot be overfocused on helmand province. that is where our troops are. in the end, progress in helmand will be how the whole campaign and mission will be judged. in terms of changes to the%+ strategy, we're just making sure security and helping to deliver that security. having been, for each of the last five years, onto many occasions, people have not been able to get out and afghanistan to deliver a project, becausee ttere is not enough security. you have to get that right first.. >> one of many problems that we have encountered is that, there have been in the past, confusion over the key objectives. i welcome your statement today, although i remain convinced -- unconvinced as to whether it can be achieved. thereehas to be a political aad military solution.+ how worried is the by he recent regulation -- resignation from president karzai's government of the chief of intelligence and the interior minister? will the support president karzai in seeking thatt -ppresident karzai in seeking a compromise? >> i support the prospects for political settlement and

>> i think that it will be in the range of 7500-8000. >> what about in helmand? >> let me answer that for the record. >> that is fine. the figures that your office provided to my staff last evening were somewhat surprising in that regard. i want you to just double check those figures. there is a total of 40,000 afghan and security forces in helmand while there is only a total of 11,000 in kandahar. if you could double check those figures and explain why there is such a significant -- so many feel word combine forces in kandahar than in helmand, a sense helped -- since kandahar will be the central effort. if you could take a look at those numbers and explain that for the record, i would appreciate that. >> i will do that. >> the press report last week that pakistani officials had proposed the car guys -- the karzai government with a proposal for delivering the haqqani network which runs a major part of the insurgency in afghanistan and an alliey of al qaeda into a power-sharing arrangement. the president noted that tends to draw afghanistan and pakistan closer tog

>> i think that it will be in the range of 7500-8000. >> what about in helmand? >> let me answer that for the record. >> that is fine. the figures that your office provided to my staff last evening were somewhat surprising in that regard. i want you to just dble check those figures. there is a total of 40,000 afghan and security forces in helmand while there is only a total of 11,000 in kandahar. if you could double check those figures and explain w there is such a significant -- so many feel word combine forces in kandahar than in helmand, a sense helped -- since kandahar will be the central effort. if y could take a look at those numbers and explain that for the record, i would appreciate that. >> i will do that. >> the press report last week that pakistani officials had proposed the car guys -- the karzai government with a proposal for deliveng the haqqani network which runs a major part of the insurgency in afghanistan and an alliey of al qaeda into a power-sharing arrangement. the president noted that tends to draw afghanistan and pakistan closer together is

we are six was entered 18-month military surge and must redouble central helmand along with+ kandahar has been the center for al-qaida. four years ago, we went to he lmand with 3000 troops. that was not sufficient. there are 30,000 there now. in total, we have over 10,000 troops in the country as a whole. we are now even in and out the isaf presence in helmand we have not had enough soldiers for an effective counterinsurgency campaign. this is still a work in progress but the situation is much improved. the marines have arrived with 80 aircraft and helicopters of their own which are now avaiiable to support all isaf forces in helamnd. a degree of normal life has returned to certain places and people are going about their daily business in an area that was not -- that was completely infested with insurgents before. inevitably, there will be tough fighting as afghan forces with support called the ground for this and push the insurgents into villages. during my visit, i was able to double the amount of teams to tackle the most serious threats facing our young and women -- are young men a

a british soldier died in a bombing in helmand. in neighboring pakistan, militants attacked a nato convoy just six miles outside the capital of islamabad seven people were killed. the assault also damaged 30 trucks transporting military supplies to afghanistan. police said about 15 militants opened fire with automatic weapons, then torched the trucks. the debt crisis in europe should have only-- should have only a modest effect on the u.s. economy if the stock market stabilizes. ben bernanke offered that outlook today to congress. >> although the receipt fall in equity prices and weaker economic prospects in europe will leave some imprints on the u.s. economy, offsetting factors include declines in interest rates and treasury bonds and home mortgages, as well as lower prices for oil and some other globally traded commodities. >> sreenivasan: the fed also issued its latest survey of regional conditions and showed modest growth in all parts of the country. that hasn't happened since the end of 2007. the economic news sent wall street

from fallujah to marja, from baghdad to kandahar, from home and to anbar -- from helmand to hand our,omen. 1074 in operation in during freedom and in afghanistan. if they were the best of us. they were our blood. they were born of carbone, blood of o blood. they were our treasure -- they were bone ofur owbone, the blood of our blood. they were our treasure. our sacred obligation, the only obligation that a government hashat is true the sacred, or sacred obligation to provide these warriors with everything they need to complete their mission, and everything they need and deserve when they ce home, that will not change. [applse] but these new warriors, a special breed, they are warriors, but they're also bright, educated, and committed like thoswho have gone before. they understand that the example of our kara and must be matched the example of our power must be matched by the power of our example. all of you know our ultimate strength lies in our values. that is what brought everyone of thmen and women in this house vote cemetery -- this hallowed cemetery close monday to give their liv

initial main effort has, of course, then in the central helmand river valley. u.s. and u.k. forces have made progress there, though predictably the enemy has bought back as we have taken away important centers. and marcia and elsewhere. the focus is now shifting to conduct our province, where the effort features an integrated civil military approach to security, governance, and development. in the months ahead, we will see an additionaa .s. brigade deployed into the districts around kandahar city together with an additional afghan army brigade. we will see the introduction of an additional afghan police and u.s. military police to secure the city itself, along with other u.s. forces and civilians who will work together with the present canadian provincial reconstruction team that has been operating in the city. as you have heard general mcchrystal explain th, we have o expand thii overtime and establish the foundation of improved security on which local afghan government can be built. and that will enable and burbots in the provision of basic services and other areas as well

officials in helmand province said the taliban hanged a seven-year-old boy on wednesday. he had been accused of spying. the militants denied they carried out a suicide bombing at a wedding party in kandahar last night. at least 40 afghans were killed there and scores more were wounded. today, the u.s. commander in afghanistan warned it will take longer to secure the kandahar area than first planned. general stanley mcchrystal said: "i think it's more important we get it right than we get it fast." russia will pursue talks to build more nuclear power plants in iran. that word came a day after the u.n. security council imposed new sanctions on iran over its nuclear program. the russian foreign ministry said the sanctions do not affect the nuclear plant talks. it also said moscow will keep a commitment to deliver surface- to-air missiles to tehran. u.s. attorney general eric holder promised a thorough investigation today, in a border shooting that's raised tensions with mexico. a 15-year-old mexican boy was killed monday night by a u.s. border patrol agent. it happened at a

things about how we're conducting the operations in kandahar or in helmand, how to balance forces. and whether we are doing all of the things that we need to be doing to succeed. this conflict is complicated but the united states can achieve its objectives. what general petraeus needs to do is figure out how to apply our forces better and how to use the political leverage that the united states and the international community have to facilitate president karzai doing some things that may not be in his personal interest but are in the interests of the country. creating of time statesman that he can be. >> woodruff: all the reports coming in so far on general petraeus, at least in the last day or so, the reviews have been very positive, glowing. kimberly kagan, just quickly, is there anything we need to know about him that's less than perfect? >> well, i have great respect for him. he's a terrific commander. he comes in and he gets ahold of a problem set, he thinks it through and he comes to a clear solution about it. does he adjust time and time again after that? sometimes. but it t

we have to be careful not to be over focused on helmand province. in the end, progress is going to bebebebebe campaign -- how the whole campaign will be judged. in terms of what is changing our strategy, it is to make sure it is focused on security and helping to deliver that. i have to say, on too many occasions, the people working very hard have not been able to get out into afghanistan to deliver a project because there is not enough security. you have to get that right first. >> one of the many problems is there has been confusion over the key objective. i welcome the statement today, but i remain convinced to see if it can be achieved. given there has to be a political solution as well as a military one, how worried is he about the resignation of the chief of intelligence and the interior minister and his support of karzai seeking that compromise? >> i discussed this with president karzai, the resignation that he spoke about, but also the prospects for political settlement and reintegration, and i think this is combined with the military surge.

assistance fce and afghan national security force are acting in partnership during operations in helmandrovince. it is the first large-scale effort to fundamentally change how we are operating together. madam secretary, can you give us specific examples of how coalitioand afghan forces have partnered together during the helmand province operations? >> i think the marjah operation really was the beginning of a very different way of doing business together. and i would say it was not only about the partnership between isaf and afghan forces, but between isaf andhe entire -- well, i would say the broader coalition, whole of government cabilities and the afghan government as a whole. and so beginning from the planning stages, you had a combined afghan isaf team that was planning not only for t military dimensions of the campaign but also for elements of different afghan ministries to come in and immediately establish a governance prence in marjah and the surrounding areas. so that has really created a different way of doing business together that has now carried into other areas. as the plan

assistance force and afghan national security force are acting in partnership during operations in helmand province. it is the first large-scale effort to fundamentally change how we are operating together. madam secretary, can you give us specific examples of how coalition and afghan forces have partnered together during the helmand province operations? >> i think the marjah operation really was the beginning of a very different way of doing business together. and i would say it was not only about the partnership between isaf and afghan forces, but between isaf and the entire -- well, i would say the broader coalition, whole of government capabilities and the afghan government as a whole. and so beginning from the planning stages, you had a combined afghan isaf team that was planning not onlyy for the military dimensions of the campaign but also for elements of different afghan ministries to come in and immediately establish a governance presence in marjah and the surrounding areas. so that has really created a different way of doing business together that has now carried into other areas

some normal activities have returned to helmand province, and insurgents intimidation continue to threatenovernance in the south. the karzai government has yet to live -- yet to deliver services in regions locally. and news reports suggest that minorities are concerned about karzai's overtures to taliban leaders through pakistani intermediaries. at our hearing two weeks ago, general patraeus emphasized that "a counterinsurgency operation is a roller-coaster experience." but he said that in his view the introductory has generally been upward despite the tough losses. i have long believed that the number one mission in afghanistan is building the capacity of the afghan security forces to be able to take increasingly -- increasing responsibility for their own security. general patraeus said, two weeks ago that increasing the size and capacity of afghan security forces is "central to achieving progress in afghanistan." u.s. and isaf forces need to focus their resources and energy on this effort. there is a significant shortfall, still, of trainers to provide basic instruction to afghan recruit

these forces are now and will continue to be focused on operations in the central helmand valley. in marjah and kandahar specifically. we're keeping abreast what we are trying to achieve. but i think it's important here to just summarize. kandahar is the birthplace of the taliban insurgency. it is from there that they have tried to spread their influence across afghanistan. and it is from there that the desire to fool once again. i think that it is safe to say that they still believe in their cause. in and around kandahar the train, equip, plan and intimidate. just the other day in the village not far away these people went to a small boy claiming he was a spy for the coalition. .. you saw president karzai down there just this past weekend, completing the effort of getting local backing. we turn now to the all important task of improving security. we will bolster a police presence and security outposts and check point in and around the city. we will establish freedom of movement along the ring road and build a bypass down to kandahar and we will better patrol access to the city it

in helmand, marines quad's patrol with our advisers engaging the local community to build more representative forms of local governments including local council and local sure us. in arkansas a district just outside of kandahar that i had the opportunity to visit earlier this spring, granted orchards are springing back to life creating jobs and economic opportunities. where usaid has held community essentially rebuilt the basis of their economy after it had been destroyed. we have learned in these contested communities is that the process of working with local leaders to do this type of work is just as important as repairing roads or digging wells. when our assistance is filtered through local governing process these we help prepare not just the road but we help to build a real government in a community. as so much of our focus is justifiably on the challenges in front of us in afghanistan, it is important to recognize how far we have come. development efforts have taken root we have been able to make real improvements in the lives of the afghan people. we have improved road infrastructure to

. >> so there's a commandern the field out there in helmand province and he or she has taken something over and now rethe want to have protection, they have convoys going back and forth. they've got to make a pretty quick decision. that going to throw through 26 million layers? >> no, but presumably, if you're getting private security guards, you have to go through a process of acquiring them. >> and you have to have some sort of contracting effort to bring them on board. having those rules in place to bring them on board makes sense. >> so you want some rules. >> i'm suggesting there should be some rules. >> okay. dr. stanger. >> article i section viii of the united states congress allows issuance of letters of mark. none have been issued to date. so congress has implicitly endorsed our curre policy but has not done so. >> i'm delighted you mentioned letters of mark. last time i checked they got a piece othe action. walter dra francis drake, walter raleigh. they don't go and capture something and take part of the gold. i think that's a highly inflammable statement, ma'am. i think that