Gen. Nicholson appeared poised to win confirmation and could be headed to…
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If confirmed by the Senate, Nicholson would replace Army Gen. John F. Campbell as the top US commander in Afghanistan, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said Wednesday.
Wary of total collapse, Obama will leave 5,500 troops in Afghanistan past his presidency, with substantive reductions from the current 9,800-troop force backloaded until his final days in office. His father, retired Army Brig.
His father, John Nicholson Sr., was also an army general, and his uncle, Jim Nicholson, served as the fifth secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), left, and Jack Reed (D.-R.I.) listen to Lt. General John W. Nicholson Jr.as he speaks during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill, on January 28, 2016. Mark S. Kirk (R.-Ill.).
Nicholson on Thursday said US troop strength “must be adequate to support the two core missions in Afghanistan – counterterrorism, a problem that is expanding; and training, advising and assisting the Afghan National Security Forces, which are far from self-sustaining”.
Nicholson, a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a career infantry officer, is now commander of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation s Allied Land Command, headquartered at Izmir, Turkey. Among the highlights of his time with the brigade was an extended 16-month deployment to Afghanistan.
The next top American commander in Afghanistan comes with Fort Drum experience.
“He knows what it means to lead a responsive and nimble force, and how to build the capacity of our partners to respond to immediate and long-term threats and remain adaptable to confront evolving challenges”, Carter said.
Campbell, 58, has led USA and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation operations in the country since August 2014. He served as commanding general at Fort Campbell from 2009 to 2011.
Besides the Taliban, the USA and Afghan forces are now fighting an aggressive branch of the militant Islamic State group.
“Although we’ve seen improvements … in some areas we have years to go, in particular the aviation area”, Nicholson said.
The general chosen by Barack Obama to command the Afghanistan war through the end of his presidency has signaled an intention to intensify counter-terrorism efforts and re-evaluate the schedule for troop reductions.
Critical of the Af-Pak policy of the Obama Administration, McCain also demanded an immediately halt to U.S. troop withdrawals and eliminate any target date for withdrawal.
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The Pentagon’s nominee to lead operations in Afghanistan claimed Thursday that less USA troops in Afghanistan could lead to a higher risk for another major terrorist attack on the U.S. Though Gen. Nicholson didn’t totally abandon the notion of a pullout, he suggested he would conduct his own assessment before making any recommendations.
