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Featured Guests

Brian Katulis
Senior Fellow
Middle East policy, US national security policy in Middle east, democratization of Middle East, peacebuilding
Center for American Progress
Carl Conetta
Co-Director
Threat assessment, US defense policy and planning, military transformation and readiness issues Military defense, defense alternatives, disarmament, arms control, defense budget, military strategy, "strategic precision attack", NATO expansion, military "readiness", confidence building, public opinion on defense spending, China and Chinese military issues, assessing threats to US national security, defense strategy and budgeting, critical appraisal of the war in Afghanistan, casualties in the war in Afghanistan, the new kinds of terrorism and how to fight it; number of Iraqi casualties and how that affects the US occupation
Project on Defense Alternatives
Melvin Goodman
Senior Fellow
international security policy and strategy; intelligence; homeland security
Center for International Policy
Patricia DeGennaro
Adjunct Assistan Professor, New York University's Center for Global Affairs
US Foreign Policy, International Security, Civil Military Affairs, Military Policy, Wartime and Post-Conflict Transition
Huffington Post
Ray McGovern
Career Analyst for the CIA: 27 years, from the Administrations of John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush
CIA, intelligence, security
Richard Klass
President, Veterans’ Alliance for Security and Democracy
Richard Klass
Robert Gard
Chairman
International relations and security issues; Human Resources Development for the U.S. Army; military and international affairs; strategic military studies; national missile defense system; explosive remnants of war and nuclear threat reduction; U.S. ban on the production, sale, transfer, and use of antipersonnel landmines
The Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation

General Petraeus Confirmed

Will his Afghanistan Strategy be anything new?
Issue Area:


General Petraeus Confirmed

General David Petraeus, President Obama’s pick to run the war in Afghanistan, stated that he will continue to work toward removing the US from the war by July 2011. During his hearing Petraeus said that he’d consider relaxing the strict rules of engagement that McChrystal had put into place, feeling that they may have put US forces in more danger.

The rules of engagement require stricter review of use of air power and set strict protocol for when soldiers can use deadly force. Ex-general Stanley McChrystal created these rules to reduce the civilian casualties that the Taliban uses to recruit Afghans.

June 2010 has been the bloodiest month yet in nine years: More than 100 NATO troops have been killed; 11 UK personnel have died in the past 10 days. Tension is mounting between the US and England about the direction of the war.

Petraeus is enduring pressure from some military and administration members that want a faster disengagement. To this Patreaus stated, “My sense is that the tough fighting will continue; indeed, it may get more intense in the next few months. As we take away the enemy's safe havens and reduce the enemy's freedom of action, the insurgents will fight back."

Will Petraeus’ tactics work better than McChrystal’s? If strategy is changed will the war take more time? If Britain’s troops keep dying will Britain pull their soldiers out?