A new CNA study says slashing number of troops in Afghanistan would jeopardize stability.

A new CNA study says slashing number of troops in Afghanistan would jeopardize stability. The WSJ's Dion Nissenbaum: "An independent assessment of U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan concludes that plans to slash the size of Afghan security forces would jeopardize American hopes of stabilizing the country when most international forces leave later this year... Under current plans of the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Afghanistan's domestic security forces would be cut from a peak of 352,000 to about 228,500 after 2015. The new analysis warns that such a reduction, which has been under review for more than a year, would undercut U.S. plans in Afghanistan... Jonathan Schroden, who oversaw the research for the CNA's Center for Naval Analyses, the Virginia-based nonprofit hired by the Pentagon and his research team concluded that the Taliban-led insurgency 'will become a greater threat to Afghanistan's stability' as it rebuilds its strength and expands its control across the country."

CNA's Schroden to Nissenbaum,: "If the U.S. policy goal is to prevent Afghanistan from ever again becoming a safe haven for terrorists and insurgents, drawing down the Afghan security forces to 228,500 puts that goal at risk." WSJ story here.http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303636404579393592477789148?mod=wsj_streaming_stream&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=*Situation%20Report&utm_campaign=SITREP%20JAN%2020%202014

Summary of CNA report here; CNA's full report here.

 http://www.cna.org/research/2014/summary-independent-assessment-afghan-national?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=*Situation%20Report&utm_campaign=SITREP%20JAN%2020%202014

http://www.cna.org/research/2014/independent-assessment-afghan-national-security?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=*Situation%20Report&utm_campaign=SITREP%20JAN%2020%202014