Afghanistan and the Taliban

The bottom line up front is that Pakistan has the capability to produce nuclear weapons and sell them to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrorists located in Afghanistan which borders Pakistan. The United States must protect our vital national interests and survival from the nuclear threat. To accomplish this task the United States must first go on the offense to prevent the Taliban and Al-Qaeda from using weapons of mass destruction. Second, the President believes that more U.S military trainers and fighters on the ground are needed in order to help the Afghan National Army and to seize the initiative. The current Afghan capacity is not enough and needs our support in training additional Afghan National Army and Police.   The President believes this will allow for a responsible transition for U.S forces to leave Afghanistan.   A larger Afghan and U.S military footprint in the area will deter Weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban . The possibility of this happening is likely based on the remarks of the President. The President indicated that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are located in Afghanistan and Pakistan.   When you first read the speech you might be confused in thinking vital interests are related to troop levels, but this is only one important variable. The Fog of war is looming over the White House and the speech comes across as only half the story of what is happening on the ground. Afghanistan’s proximity to Pakistan, a weak government, and lack of trained Police and Afghan Army personnel is the underling reason why the President believes we need more troops in Afghanistan.   The President wants to ensure that Afghanistan is a stable region and ally to assist us with this effort. The first priority is to establish security in the region through the use of hard military power, which requires boots on the ground and an increase in troop levels to eliminate Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.   Second we must train the Afghan National...