U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the ranking member on the Personnel Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after President Trump’s address on Afghanistan military policy:
“I found the President’s speech tonight terribly lacking. Lacking in details, lacking in substance and lacking in a vision of what success in Afghanistan looks like.
“When committing American service members overseas, the Commander in Chief needs to clearly define the mission and a strategy to achieve success. Until he can do that, expecting service members to fight and possibly die in Afghanistan is a disservice to their sacrifice.
“I am skeptical that the President’s ‘new strategy’ will achieve what the last sixteen years could not, and I will be calling for extensive hearings in the Senate where Congress must demand accountability and transparency from this Administration.”