Washington, D.C. ­– U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening statement today at a hearing on U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia:

“The Senate Armed Services Committee meets this morning to receive testimony on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia. We welcome Secretary Mattis and Chairman Dunford back to the committee. We thank you both for your many years of distinguished service and your leadership of our men and women in uniform. 

“Sixteen years ago this week, U.S. and coalition forces began combat operations in Afghanistan to eliminate the al-Qaeda terrorists who attacked our nation and remove the Taliban regime that gave them sanctuary. Few would have predicted that 16 years later, we would still be fighting what has become America’s longest war.

“To date, we have achieved our mission to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists to attack America or our allies and partners. But that success has come at a tremendous price. More than 2,000 American have given their lives in this war, and over 20,000 more have been wounded. And while we are still denying safe haven to terrorists in Afghanistan, there is no escaping our present reality: As Secretary Mattis and General Nicholson have already testified to this committee, America is losing the war in Afghanistan. That is unacceptable.

“Much of the responsibility for this failure rests with the prior administration, which was consistently more interested in leaving Afghanistan than succeeding there. As a result, for most of the past eight years, our commanders on the ground have had to fight this war with restricted authorities and rules of engagement, insufficient resources, political micromanagement, artificial deadlines for withdrawal, and a lack of presidential leadership. Our troops have fought bravely and honorably, but too often, it seemed as if they were doing so with one hand tied behind their back.

“This was the situation that President Trump inherited. It was not his doing, but it is now his responsibility. When the President announced a new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia on August 21st, it came after months of delay and indecision, but it was encouraging in some respects. In particular, the President ended the foolish policy of arbitrary timetables for withdrawal and shifted to a conditions-based approach. This was a step in the right direction.

“At the same time, in the six weeks since the President made his announcement, this committee, and the Congress more broadly, still does not know many of the crucial details of this strategy. This is totally unacceptable.

“Many members of this committee have been actively involved in the war in Afghanistan since it started. A few have even served in the war on active duty. We expect—indeed, we require—a regular flow of detailed information about this war. That is not because we want to inhibit our witnesses from doing their jobs. It is because we have to do ours.

“We have to provide our troops with the vital authorities and resources they need to perform their missions. That is our separate, co-equal responsibility under the Constitution. And we take our duties as seriously as our witnesses take theirs—though I must say, it is bizarre that for a hearing of such importance, our witnesses failed to submit written testimony to this committee.

“We want to be your partners. But this committee will not be a rubber stamp for any policy or president. We must be well-informed. We must be convinced of the merits of the administration’s actions. And unfortunately, we still have far more questions than answers about this new strategy.

“At the most basic level, we still do not know how the President’s new strategy will better enable us to achieve our stated objectives. In short, at present, it remains unclear why we should be confident that this new strategy could turn the tide in Afghanistan or bring us meaningfully closer to success than its failed predecessors.

“The President said in his speech that ‘conditions on the ground—not arbitrary timetables—will guide our strategy from now on.’ But what are those conditions?

“The President said that our goal is still ‘to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban.’ But we still do not know what kind of settlement the administration seeks, on what timeline, what role the United States intends to play in bringing it about, or what role we expect other nations to play.

“The President said we will use ‘strategically applied force’ to create the conditions for such a political settlement. We know that 3,500 more U.S. troops are on their way to Afghanistan, mostly to train and advise Afghan forces. And we know that the military has been given more flexible authorities to target our enemies. But we still do not know how these military gains will be translated into progress towards a political solution. And we have yet to hear a compelling case for why this modest increase in U.S. forces will produce battlefield results that can significantly alter the Taliban’s calculus and create the conditions for political reconciliation when we could not bring about this goal with far more troops on the ground.

“The President has also said, quite importantly, that we would change the U.S. approach to Pakistan, which continues to harbor militants and terrorists who target U.S. service members and officials. But we still do not know what specific steps the United States will take to convince or compel Pakistan to change its behavior, or what costs we will impose if Pakistan fails to do so. Indeed, it is unclear to me if the administration believes any step or series of steps the United States might take will lead Pakistan to cease its support and sanctuary for certain terrorist groups, which has been a feature of its national security policy for decades.

“Secretary Mattis, General Dunford: This committee, the Congress, the American people, and our men and women in uniform all hold you in the highest regard. We have confidence in your leadership, your integrity, and your judgment. But in light of the experience of the last 16 years, what should give us confidence that this new strategy for Afghanistan will be different? To answer that central question, this committee, in particular, deserves a lot more detailed information from the President and from you—not just at today’s hearing, but in the days, weeks, and months to come.”

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