McLEAN, VA – Jeff Barnett, Democratic Nominee for Congress in Virginia’s 10th District, has praised President Barack Obama’s decision to replace General Stanley McChrystal with General David Petraeus as Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. Forces, Afghanistan (USFOR-A).
 
“I am proud of the way President Obama handled this situation. He acted swiftly and decisively, and he put the success of our mission ahead of politics. That’s the kind of pragmatic leadership that I will bring to Washington when I am elected this November.”
 
“The conduct of our wars concerns me not just as a citizen and a veteran, but as a father,” Barnett said. “Both of my children are active duty military officers. My youngest returned from her first tour of duty in Afghanistan in April, and she redeploys on 18 July. My family – like so many other families around the country – is directly affected by this war. I will never allow our children’s lives to become political calculations.”
 
“Civilian control of the military is among the foremost bulwarks of Democracy,” Barnett continued. “The most troubling aspect of the information in last week’s article about General McChrystal is that it revealed dissent within the highest ranks of command in Afghanistan. As a retired Colonel with 26 years of military experience, I know that clarity of objective and unity of effort are fundamental principles of war. We cannot plan successful offensives in the absence of clear objectives. We cannot accomplish those objectives when our field commander undermines and disagrees with his civilian leadership. Replacing General McChrystal with General Petraeus makes sound strategic sense.”
 
Last week’s events should remind us of the challenges presented by modern counterinsurgency warfare. “In Afghanistan, our generals manage multinational forces and work to win the support of a troubled population. In that climate, it’s not enough for our officers to be excellent soldiers, they must also be diplomatic leaders,” Barnett warned. “Modern warfare demands modern generalship. It requires leadership in all elements of American power: diplomatic, information, military and economic. To succeed, General Petraeus and Ambassador Eikenberry must strengthen the ties of civil-military collaboration. Only then will we achieve our goals in Afghanistan: kill Al-Qaeda and ensure that the government in Kabul has the strength to prevent its return.”