“The purpose of this report is to identify vital U.S. interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan and to outline how the United States can transition, between July 2011 and 2014, from a large-scale and resource-intensive counterinsurgency campaign to the more sustainable U.S. and allied presence we deem necessary to protect those interests. This change aims to shift the balance of fighting the Taliban from U.S. forces to Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) by 2014 while focusing a smaller number of residual U.S. forces on the long term threat from al Qaeda. This shift is designed to contain the most dangerous threats emanating from the region and to secure U.S. vital interests while expending the minimal cost necessary in terms of troops, dollars and lives. It is both time driven and conditions-based, recognizing the need for flexibility while guarding against an unlimited commitment of resources. The strategy laid out in this report differs from those identified in several recent reports in its characterization of both the size and duration of residual U.S. forces.”
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