President Donald Trump announced the U.S. military will increase troop support in Afghanistan during a national address Monday.
Trump said he hopes to avoid the mistakes made in the past with a hasty withdrawal from Iraq.
“America will continue support of the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field,” said Trump in his national address.
In June, Defense Secretary James Mattis received confirmation to send approximately 3,900 troops to Afghanistan to help advise Afghan forces.
However, some in San Diego are concerned about what will be done with the troops.
U.S. Marine veteran Aaron Brooks of the Truman National Security Project, a nation-wide organization that came together after the Sept. 11 terror attacks to help shape national security, said he wanted to hear more than just hard defense from the president.
“We need to see diplomacy, democracy, and defense implemented in ways that involve partnering with other nations in the region,” said Brooks.
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Brooks said he and other veterans in the San Diego community know that war is not a game with pieces on the board, but there has to be a strategic end to the combat.
According to Trump’s national address, his strategy consists of an enduring outcome without the sacrifice of lives, not allowing the terrorist groups in the Afghan region to flourish, and alleviating tensions between Pakistan and India.
“I am a problem-solver, and in the end, we will win,” Trump said.
