VOA标准英语2008年-US Military Seeks New Afghanistan Strategy

The top U.S. military officer says he has ordered the development of a new, more comprehensive strategy for the war in Afghanistan, including a plan to shift U.S. forces from Iraq to Afghanistan, announced by President Bush on Tuesday. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
　
Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates, left, and Joint² Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen, right, testify before House Armed Services Committee hearing, 10 Sept. 2008

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen says the decision to continue a slow reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq is justified³ by reduced violence and the increased capability⁴ of the Iraqi security forces. He says any risks created by the U.S. drawdown are "acceptable."

But he indicated to the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives that he is more concerned about the situation in Afghanistan.

"I am not convinced we are winning yet in Afghanistan, I am convinced we can," Mullen said. "That is why I intend to commission, and I am looking at, a new, more comprehensive military strategy for the region that covers both sides of that border."

Admiral Mullen said security in Afghanistan and Pakistan are "inextricably linked" because of what he called "a common insurgency⁵" on both sides of their border. He said military force is not enough to win in Afghanistan, and he called for a broad Afghan and international effort to improve governance and economic development. But he said more troops are also needed, even beyond the deployment⁶ President Bush announced Tuesday.

"They are a good and important start," Mullen said. "Frankly⁷, I judge the risk of not sending them too great a risk to ignore. My expectation is that they will need to perform both the training mission and the combat and combat support missions simultaneously⁸ until such time that we can provide additional troops. And I can not say at this point when that might be."

President Bush said he will send about 4,500 troops to Afghanistan by February, but with other U.S. forces scheduled to leave the result will be a net increase of only about 15,000. The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan has asked for 10,000.

At the same hearing where Admiral Mullen spoke⁹, Defense Secretary Robert Gates cautioned against withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq too quickly in order to address the need in Afghanistan, and the desire to give the troops more rest time between deployments.
　
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates testifies on Capitol Hill, 10 Sep 2008

"I worry that the great progress our troops and the Iraqis have made has the potential to override¹⁰ a measure of caution born of uncertainty," Gates said. "Our military commanders do not yet believe our gains are necessarily enduring. And they believe that there are still many challenges and the potential for reversals in the future."

Secretary Gates said the conflict in Iraq has undergone a "fundamental change," but he repeated his view that the United States and its allies must now "get the end game there right." The secretary is so concerned that he made a rare statement, for him, that could be interpreted as injecting his views into the presidential election campaign, where the U.S. troop commitment in Iraq is a major issue.

"I would urge our nation's leaders to implement¹¹ strategies that while steadily¹² reducing our presence in Iraq are cautious and flexible, and take into account the advice of our senior commanders and military leaders," Gates said. "I would also urge our leaders to keep in mind that we should expect to be involved in Iraq for years to come, although in changing and increasingly limited ways."

Secretary Gates said although the country's top military leaders came at the question of Iraq troop levels from different perspectives, they all ended up agreeing to recommend the small withdrawal¹³ of 8,000 troops during the next five months that President Bush announced Tuesday, in order to ensure that security gains are not lost.

 

1 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。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

4 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

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 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

7 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

8 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

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 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

13 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。