Afghanistan: More Of A Wave Than A Surge

4863545The White House is gearing up to reveal its Afghan policy in an announcement expected by the end of the week.

There won't be any new name for the White House's new Afghan strategy – one official here at the Pentagon told me they tried but it really isn't anything new – "just more of the same of what we're already doing."

American troop presence could go as high as 70,000 – that's 10,000 more than currently planned. That means more U.S. troops training Afghan troops, more patrols to provide more daily security for ordinary Afghans, and more social and civil outreach by NATO and the U.S. State Department.

They'll help do everything from providing more patrols to more training of Afghan troops. The premise is to turn as much of the security over to Afghans as quickly as possible – by training more of them. The White House hopes to double the size of the Afghan army and police, to 400,000 strong.

For more details, one official recommended reading Charlie Rose's interview with Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, last week, and listening to the Afghan references in any of Gates' recent speeches. The quote of the day all around: it's "all already out there."

When the announcement is made, expect to see a combined front of the Commander in Chief, National Security Council chief Jim Jones, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mullen and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.