Reply #1: Part 2

[Turborama]

Q) How long is it going to take to get to the tipping point?

A) It's hard to predict that. But I think we need to stay on a fairly large sustained commitment on the part of the international community for the next three to five years, at a minimum. I don't use the word "surge," because I don't think it's necessarily a temporary increase in forces. I think it's more of a sustained increase in forces for the next perhaps as much as three to five years.

Q) But is 17,000 enough?

A) That's just what the president approved. And he did that based on my request, and really to get us the forces to get to the summer, the height of the fighting season. And that was a very difficult decision because he hasn't finished the strategic review for his administration and their strategy and policy for this region. Later in the year will there be other decision points to adjust future requirements? Absolutely. I'm absolutely satisfied with the president's decision for U.S. forces. Now I'm like others. I want the international community < NATO allies> to contribute more.

Q) How difficult is it to run the NATO coalition?

A) The fact that there are 41 nations in ISAF sends a signal of international commitment to this campaign in Afghanistan. But it is challenging. There are different friction points, that start with language. Start with different training doctrines, different equipment, different levels of readiness.

Q) How does the issue of civilian casualties feed into that?

A) By the very nature of an insurgency, where the threat is mixed in with the population, it is virtually impossible to totally avoid civilian casualties. That said, we spend a lot of effort on tracking civilian casualties in this country. And our data show that over 80 percent of the civilian casualties are caused by the insurgents, although that's not the perception.