No one has lost more troops and lives to terrorism than the Pakistan, Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White said in a press briefing on Thursday – referring to Secretary Defense James Mattis who recently concluded his trip to Pakistan.
Rejoining to a loaded question about the kind of assurances Mattis received from Pakistan and actions against Haqqani Network, she further noted that the secretary has a very fruitful conversation with Pakistan and this is about broadening our relationship and looking for opportunities.
‘Pakistan has an interest in ensuring that terrorism is defeated. They’ve lost thousands of troops, and they’ve lost thousands of innocents as well …… so we‘ll look for ways to work with Pakistan is to find that common ground (terrorism or the threat of terrorism) and move forward.’
Explicating the ‘common ground’, White also stressed that it is in the interest of the US, the Pakistan, and the region to ensure and encourage political reconciliation in Afghanistan. She was holding the press briefing along with David L. Norquist, Undersecretary of Defense, Comptroller.
This is quite after some time that a US official has acknowledged Pakistan’s sacrifices in war on terror and prescribed a political settlement in Afghanistan. In October, Trump also appreciated Pakistan for rescuing a North American family from a Taliban-linked group hostage but his recognition lacked such acknowledgement.
According to latest official statistics, the US military casualties have reached 59,565 as of December 7, 2017 including 6,922 killings in several operations across various countries – mostly in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition, a total of twenty one Department of Defense (DOD) civilians have also lost their lives in global war on terror.
As a result the United States was nearly extracted from Afghanistan and Iraq – except for troops dedicated to NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. Resolute Support is purely a non-combative support mission which prerogative is to only train, advise, and assist Afghan security forces.
Around the unremitting deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and Iraq – Pentagon urged Congress to pass the Fiscal Year 2018 Defense Appropriation Bill on Wednesday. To the frustration of the Department of Defense, Congress has been delaying the authorization of $639bn despite frequent requests.
Pentagon Spokesman Army Col. Robert Manning was clearly riled by the delay. ‘Continuing resolutions immediately disrupt training, impede readiness recovery, delay maintenance, impose uncertainty on the workforce, and induce inefficient and constrained contracting practices’.
He further said that the men and the women of the department deserve the certainty and also the department cannot begin new programs or new construction during a continuing resolution. ‘The longer (continuing resolution) last, the more damage they do’, Manning exclaimed.
Pentagon prioritizes three areas during fiscal year 2018 – improve war-fighting readiness, achieve program balance by addressing pressing shortfalls, and build a larger, more capable, and more lethal joint force.
The DOD major planned investments for the year are: aircraft ($22.2bn); shipbuilding ($$18.8bn); preferred munitions, ground systems, and missile defense ($7.5bn), science and technology innovation ($13.2bn), and supporting families ($8.0bn).
The number of US service members at the end of FY2018 totals 1,018,000 soldiers, 386,900 sailors, 223,500 marines, and 501,500 airmen including active, guard, and reserve.