Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, President Obama’s nominee to be ambassador to Afghanistan, faced no apparent opposition at his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday and is likely to assume the post at a critical juncture in the U.S.-led counterinsurgency campaign.
Gen. Eikenberry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the United States and its international partners must redouble efforts to reverse Taliban gains in the embattled south and east of the country as well as deal with the booming drug trade that fuels them. He also promised more support to the Afghan national army and police.
“The way ahead is clear but the resources to date have, regrettably, been insufficient,” he said.
Speaking hours before the Obama administration is set to unveil a new strategy for the war that will deal with Afghanistan and Pakistan, Gen. Eikenberry said it was “unclear” whether Pakistan’s intelligence service has dropped support for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“We can succeed in Afghanistan, it’s true, but if we don’t address the problem, the linked problems in Pakistan, then we’ll have no lasting success,” he told the panel.
The Taliban and al Qaeda have sanctuaries in Pakistan.
An investigation by The Washington Times uncovered problems with U.S. aid to Afghanistan and police training that occurred when Gen. Eikenberry commanded U.S.-led forces in the country from 2005 to 2007. However, his supporters say he is fit for the diplomatic post because of his experience.
Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat and chairman of the committee, said because Gen. Eikenberry “knows the local terrain and the military side of the equation as well as anyone can, he is uniquely placed to get the civil-military balance right as ambassador.”
“So it’s clear,” Mr. Kerry added, “that General Eikenberry is well-equipped to hit the ground running.”
Gen. Eikenberry could be confirmed by the full Senate as early as next week. He would succeed William B. Wood, a career diplomat who has served in Kabul since April 2007.
The general currently serves as deputy chairman of NATO’s military committee in Brussels, where he has developed ties with European allies previously criticized for failing to provide adequate troops and trainers and for imposing “caveats” that limit some contributors to noncombat roles.
“As our ambassador to Afghanistan, General Eikenberry will be able to draw upon extensive experience in engaging international partners and facilitating a more collaborative effort with the Afghans,” said Sen. Richard G. Lugar, Indiana Republican, the committee’s ranking minority member.
However, some current and former U.S. officials in Afghanistan have questioned the nomination.
In The Times’ report earlier this week, they said that tens of millions of dollars in funds were misspent, development took a back seat to security-related projects funded by the Commander’s Emergency Response Program (CERP) and efforts to boost the capacity of the Afghan police flagged under Gen. Eikenberry’s stewardship.
Some asserted that his stint as commander also strained the relationship between the American military and civil agencies working in Afghanistan.
During the hearing, Gen. Eikenberry said CERP funds, which are supposed to go to quick-impact projects, are very useful to military officers in the field and suggested that a similarly flexible mechanism should be extended to officials in the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development.
Concerns also have been expressed that the Eikenberry nomination may give too much sway to the Pentagon.
If he is confirmed, four of the administration’s leading voices on the war will be active-duty or retired generals: Gen. David H. Petraeus, the head of the Central Command; Gen. David D. McKiernan, the top commander in Afghanistan; and Gen. James L. Jones, a retired Marine Corps officer serving as national security adviser.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.