Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed concerns about Taliban and al-Qaida bases in nearby Pakistan during a Dec. 15 meeting with Afghan leaders in Kabul. Mullen outlined a worsening situation in Afghanistan, with increased enemy activity causing high casualties among U.S. and foreign troops, as well as Afghan security and police personnel. “The insurgency has grown more violent, more pervasive and more sophisticated,” Mullen said, in an article published by Voice of America. During his meeting with Afghan leadership, he outlined plans for the deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. forces and expectations of Afghan elements that, if plans succeed, will someday assume responsibility for providing security for their nation.