President Obama announced that 30,000 more troops will deploy to Afghanistan to bolster the combat mission there, during a Dec. 1 speech before cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. The troops will start moving out during the first half of next year, and will likely take part in operations in the nation’s southern and western sectors, where Taliban activity is at its highest. The surge will last about a year, Obama said. Troops would begin pulling out by July 2011, with Afghan security and military assets assuming the responsibility for defending their homeland. Two Army brigade combat teams will likely account for most of the surge. But Marine units will likely be called upon as well, to help train Afghan forces in counterinsurgency. Navy and Air Force strength in Afghanistan will also increase.
