As you all know Trump will address the country tonight at 9 PM Eastern on the topic of Afghanistan. We are already getting reports that Trump plans to call for a troop surge, doubling our troops in the war-torn country:
WEEKLY STANDARD – In his address, which he will deliver from Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, Trump plans to outline a strategy to increase U.S. troop levels for Operation Resolute Support, the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, by around half. There are currently about 8,500 U.S. forces currently in country, with an additional 2,000-plus special forces conducting counterterrorism missions. There will likely be no significant increase in counterterrorism forces under the new Trump strategy. The president may cite al Qaeda’s continued and strengthened presence, aided by the Taliban, in Afghanistan. He’s also likely to emphasize the United States will not be pursuing nation-building as a mission.
Trump arrived at his new strategy over the course of several meetings of the NSC: in the White House Situation Room, at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and at the presidential retreat of Camp David in Maryland. It was at Camp David, on Friday, that Trump made his decision. He had pulled Mike Pence away a day early from the vice president’s foreign trip to join the meeting. The other principals, including Defense secretary James Mattis, secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Security adviser H. R. McMaster, CIA director Mike Pompeo, Joint Chiefs chairman Joseph Dunford, and White House chief of staff John Kelly, had said their piece in favor of more troops. Only Attorney General Jeff Sessions was reluctant to support an increase, arguing that Trump’s campaign promise not to escalate foreign wars was important.
Here’s a livestream of Trump’s address for those of you who want to watch it here.