Security and Stability in Afghanistan

The Department of Defense has released its latest Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan (Oct. 2009). The report identifies the following key elements necessary for success in the region:

• Expanding the size and capability of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF)
• Engaging the Afghan government and bolstering its legitimacy
• Building Afghan civilian capacity
• Building provincial and local government capacity
• Breaking the link between narcotics and the insurgency
• Building Pakistan's capacity to fight extremists
• Increasing and broadening U.S. economic assistance to Pakistan
• Strengthening Pakistani government capacity
• Mobilizing greater international political support for objectives in Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Encouraging and facilitating bilateral and trilateral coordination among Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States and broader engagement with the international community

Previous reports are available on the Department of Defense publications' page.