Iraq and Afghanistan arguably present the most pressing foreign and defense policy concerns facing the United States today. Six years after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 and the rapid demise of Taliban rule in Afghanistan that followed shortly afterward, the United States continues to expend considerable diplomatic, economic, and military resources—not to mention the personal sacrifices of U.S. troops and civilians—on pursuing security and stability in Iraq and Afghanistan. As part of Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF), some 160,000 U.S. troops were in Iraq and 26,000 troops were in Afghanistan as of summer...

As discussed in Chapter One, the United States has a strong interest in the long-term security of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the surrounding regions. Even beyond the current security situation in each country, there are several potential threats for which the United States and its security partners must be prepared. But the perceptions of these threats may vary widely depending on where one stands based on ethnic, political, religious, ideological, and national grounds. This chapter examines these threat perceptions. First, it explores the perceptions of key domestic groups in Iraq and Afghanistan, then it discusses two broad threats to future Afghan...

What types of bilateral security relationships might the United States seek with Iraq and Afghanistan over the long term? Given the uncertainty of political orientations and security outcomes in each country, the United States must be prepared to pursue a variety of options. The varied military and political contexts in Afghanistan and Iraq suggest that the United States will need to consider different types of security relationships with each, even if the menu of options may be similar. Moreover, as discussed in Chapter Two, U.S. bilateral security relationships will influence and be influenced by regional security concerns and arrangements. Thus,...

Given long-term U.S. interests, the potential threats to those interests, and the preferred security relationships and emerging regional security structures, U.S. military forces will be heavily involved in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the surrounding regions for the foreseeable future. U.S. military commitments could include selected operational assistance and a wide range of security cooperation activities. USAF assets will play critical roles in both areas and are likely to be in high demand. This demand may be independent of—or in some cases, inversely related to—the numerical levels of U.S. ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. military forces play two...

This final chapter summarizes conclusions and recommendations emerging from the preceding analysis of U.S., Iraqi, and Afghan interests; the threats to those interests; alternative bilateral and multilateral security relationships and the security cooperation activities to support them; and potential roles of U.S., Afghan, and Iraqi military forces in general and airpower in particular. The first section offers conclusions and recommendations to the U.S. government and the U.S. Department of Defense on forging future bilateral security relationships and cooperation with Baghdad and Kabul in the context of a vision for stable regional security structures. The second section suggests roles for the...