VOA标准英语2009年-Leaked Report Urges More Troops for Afghan

By Al Pessin
Washington
21 September 2009

 
U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal (r) commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan and German Colonel Georg Klein at site of bombing near Kunduz, 05 Sep 2009
A report from the new U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan says there is an urgent need for more foreign troops and civilians², more Afghan forces and a new strategic approach to reverse Taliban gains.

The frank and mostly gloomy assessment³ by U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal is still officially secret, but the Washington Post published an unclassified version Monday, which it says has only a few deletions requested by the government.

In the document, the general, who arrived in Afghanistan in June, says "success is not ensured by additional forces alone, but continued under-resourcing will likely cause failure."

He writes the U.S. and NATO effort has long been "under-resourced," and that must change within 12 months or the coalition⁴ "risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency⁵ is no longer possible." He says a lack of even the "minimum" resources is "a recipe for failure" in a counterinsurgency," and the Taliban and related groups have made significant gains in recent years as a result.

General McChrystal says while the Afghan government and military "must ultimately defeat the insurgency," the coalition can not wait for the Afghans to be capable enough to do the job alone.

Although the Washington Post published most of the document on its website, Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman declined to discuss its details, calling it "pre-decisional" and "classified." "The national security team, to include the commander-in-chief, have it. They are reviewing it. They will use it to help them make decisions about the future. The secretary (of Defense⁶) is absorbing the assessment along with the president. If there are decisions that flow from that, they will make them at the appropriate time," the spokesman said.

Whitman would not say when General McChrystal will make his expected detailed⁷ request for more troops, or when a decision might be made.

On the president's aircraft Monday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters while the general may want more troops he does not expect a formal request for a little while. "We are going to conduct that strategic assessment and do that in a way that lays out the best path forward before we make resource decisions, rather than having this go the other way around where one makes resources decisions and then finds a strategy," Gibbs said.

Gibbs said any decision on troop levels will wait until the conclusion of a broader assessment of the way forward in Afghanistan, of which he indicated General McChrystal's document is only one part.

 
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 17 Sep 2009
Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates appealed for patience, saying these are extremely important decisions, and the president should be given the time to get them right. The secretary indicated he, the president and other senior officials have sent questions to General McChrystal about his assessment, and are awaiting his answers.

In the document, the general is sharply critical of NATO forces, saying they are "poorly configured" to fight an insurgency. He says if NATO countries continue to be "pre-occupied" with protecting their forces rather than protecting the people and accomplishing the mission, they "run the risk of strategic defeat." He says the coalition must operate "dramatically differently -- even uncomfortably differently."

He also repeats some of his earlier calls for more civilian¹ help and a new approach by his troops that makes the security of the Afghan people their top priority. He says the coalition is in a "war of ideas," in which he says it must demonstrate its commitment and its ability to deliver security without causing undue⁸ civilian casualties.

In a VOA interview, Afghanistan Ambassador to the United Nations Zahir Tanin endorsed⁹ General McChrystal's sense of urgency, and his view that while a comprehensive approach is needed, security comes first. "From a military point of view, I think without enough resources, without the ability to stop the Taliban's advances, it would be very difficult to make any progress in other areas, including political progress in Afghanistan," Tanin said.

Ambassador Tanin said General McChrystal is in the best position to assess the security needs and if there is a need for more forces, the Afghan government must support such a request.

He also rejected concerns expressed by some, including Secretary Gates, that sending more foreign troops could alienate¹⁰ the Afghan people. The ambassador says the key for Afghans is not how many foreign troops there are or what strategy they implement¹¹, but whether they deliver security and defeat the insurgents¹².

In the report, General McChrystal concludes that "while the situation is serious, success is still achievable." But he says the effort needs "a fundamentally new approach" that is "properly resourced and supported" throughout the coalition and across military and civilian agencies.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

8 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

9 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 alienate   

vt.使疏远，离间；转让(财产等)

参考例句：

• His attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith.他离间那两个朋友的企图失败了，因为他们彼此完全信任。
• We'd better not alienate ourselves from the colleagues.我们最好还是不要与同事们疏远。

11 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

12 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网