President Barack Obama has nominated the commander of Fort Leavenworth to lead US and NATO efforts to train Afghan forces. Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV would join the war's top US commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, if confirmed by the Senate this fall. McChrystal is pushing for more help in developing Afghanistan's fledging military. Caldwell has led the Kansas post since July 2007, and guided development of the US Army's plans for training foreign security forces. His new position would focus on training local army and police forces in Afghanistan to fight the Taleban, Al-Qaida and other terrorists. John Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security in Washington, DC, said Caldwell's nomination is a recognition by the Pentagon of the importance of the mission, elevating the command from a two-star to three-star general. Nagl noted the deployment of a 82nd Airborne Division brigade to train Afghan forces, but he said more troops and resources will be needed. “He's got the right skill sets to make a huge difference,” Nagl, a former Army officer, said of Caldwell. The nomination, announced late Thursday, comes as Obama reviews McChrystal's assessment of the war and the need to develop Afghanistan's military to fight a resurgent Taleban. McChrystal wants as many as 40,000 additional troops. There are 65,000 US forces in Afghanistan now, along with 40,000 more from NATO countries. In his assessment, McChrystal said Afghan forces weren't large enough to meet the demands of the war, but that development was vital to the strategy for sustainable security and stability in the country. He said the progress by Afghan forces over the next 12 to 18 months was critical to preserve international support. McChrystal advocates accelerating growth of the Afghan forces from 200,000 soldiers to 400,000.
