Obama’s Wars

by Bob Woodward

  /DCPD-200900985.htm.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This book is based almost entirely on my own reporting, interviews, a review of documents and meeting notes. I am deeply indebted to the reporters and authors who have covered the war in Afghanistan and the Obama administration. They blazed the trail. Their work and insights provide a significant and essential foundation.

  I want to thank all sources, those named and those unnamed. These individuals often agreed to take the time to answer all my questions, provide me with notes and other written material, and give context to the scenes in this book. Without their help, the effort to make this a serious and authoritative history would have been impossible. I am grateful.

  Alice Mayhew, my editor at Simon & Schuster for 38 years and 16 books, continues to offer wisdom that is shrewd, fair and always to the point. No one edits with more grace than Alice. Her devotion to revealing history in a clear, compelling way is a gift. She has my admiration and affection.

  Jonathan Karp enthusiastically leapt into his new job as publisher at Simon & Schuster. He gave dozens of concrete suggestions and ideas that strengthened this book. Simon & Schuster and its authors are fortunate to have at the helm a publisher who immerses himself in the details of a manuscript. Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn K. Reidy remains the kind of ally who all writers should have. My deepest appreciation also goes to Roger Labrie, senior editor; Elisa Rivlin, senior vice president and general counsel; Victoria Meyer, executive vice president of publicity; Tracey Guest, director of publicity; Jackie Seow, art director and jacket designer; Irene Kheradi, executive managing editor; Tristan Child, assistant managing editor; Karen Thompson, associate editor; Paul Dippolito, designer; Lisa Healy, senior production editor; Nancy Inglis, director of copyediting; John Wahler, associate director of production.

  Josh Boak, Evelyn Duffy and I have profound gratitude for master copy editor Fred Chase, who came from Texas to join our team and work on his sixth book with me. Fred is a man of immense experience and common sense. His company, good humor, eye for detail and typographical saves make his help invaluable.

  Many thanks to Barbara DeGennaro for indexing this book in such a short time.

  Washington Post executive editor Marcus Brauchli has steered the institution I love with intelligence and courage. He possesses an eye for scoops, a competitive drive and the unflappable presence needed during this tumultuous time in the industry. Many thanks also to publisher Katharine Weymouth, whose pride in the work, mission and future of the newspaper is essential.

  Post chairman and CEO Don Graham is a stalwart friend. No media CEO could be more of a champion of journalism and journalists. He knows the importance of ensuring that independent voices are heard.

  My friend Steve Luxenberg, associate editor, gave willingly of his ingenuity and judgment to help excerpt this book for The Washington Post, and he has my lasting gratitude.

  Washington Post reporters and editors whose work on Afghanistan and Pakistan was of tremendous assistance include Karen De-Young, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, David Ignatius, Joby Warrick, Greg Jaffe, Joshua Partlow, Al Kamen, Walter Pincus, Scott Wilson, Anne E. Kornblut, Ann Scott Tyson, Pamela Constable, Griff Witte, Rama Lakshmi, Emily Wax, Karin Brulliard, Cameron Barr, Carlos Lozada and many others. A great deal of significant background and understanding came from others on the Post’s foreign and national staffs. Special thanks to Rick Atkinson, Steve Coll and David Maraniss.

  My appreciation also goes to Michel du Cille, Wendy Galietta and the rest of the Post’s incomparable photo staff who supplied nearly all of the pictures used in this book.

  I will always be indebted to my friend and mentor Ben Bradlee, whose exacting standards and enduring principles are a legacy for all who have passed through the Post’s newsroom.

  And special thanks to Carl Bernstein, a friend, colleague and source of endless ideas and insight.

  I was also helped immeasurably by the reporting and analysis in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Politico, Dawn (Pakistan), The Nation (Pakistan), the Associated Press, and countless other news organizations both foreign and domestic.

  The following books were useful points of reference and would make for excellent further reading: The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen; Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice by David Galula; Decoding the Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field edited by Antonio Giustozzi; Descent into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid; Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin; Koran, Kalashnikov and Laptop: The NeoTaliban Insurgency in Afghanistan by Antonio Giustozzi; Lessons in Disaster by Gordon M. Goldstein; My Life with the Taliban by Abdul Salam Zaeef; Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military by Husain Haqqani; The Promise by Jonathan Alter; and The Search for Al Qaeda by Bruce Riedel.

  My assistants and I found the following blogs helpful as well: Abu Muqawama (http://www.cnas.org/blogs/abumuqawama); The AfPak Channel (http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/); At War (http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/); The Cable (http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/); and Mike Allen’s Playbook (http://www.politico.com/playbook/).

  Robert B. Barnett, my agent, attorney and friend, again proved indispensible. His counsel is always welcome and informed. Bob looks out for his authors and their interests with an unmatched zeal. Because he represents President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and other political figures, he was not consulted on the contents of this book and did not see it until it was printed.

  Josh, Evelyn and I are fortunate for the presence of Rosa Criollo and Jackie Crowe in our lives. Long days are shortened and challenges eased by their able assistance.

  My elder daughter, Tali, spent a week in Washington reviewing the manuscript. Her smart recommendations helped make sometimes dense subject matter more understandable. Tali has a natural touch and feel for the written word. My younger daughter, Diana, is fast becoming a spirited and caring young woman and a highly readable writer in her own right. Both are joys in my life.

  Elsa Walsh, my wife, lived through this book from the first interviews to the final proofs. Her advice has always proven enlightening, and her company an abiding comfort. She devoted an intense week to marking up drafts. This book—and my previous ones—are richer because of her. Elsa is the anchor of our family and the source of the love that matters.

  PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

  Linda Davidson (The Washington Post): 4, 6, 16, 29

  Day Walters Photography: 12

  Lorie Jewell (U.S. Air Force): 20

  Marvin Joseph (The Washington Post): 8, 10, 31

  Nikki Kahn (The Washington Post): 1, 23

  Melina Mara (The Washington Post): 2, 7, 17, 18, 21, 24, 26

  Anjum Naveed (Associated Press): 28

  Bill O’Leary (The Washington Post): 3, 5, 22, 27

  Robert A. Reeder (The Washington Post): 15

  Brendan Smialowski (Getty Images News): 11

  Chip Somodevilla (Getty Images News): 25

  Pete Souza (Official White House photographer): 9, 13, 14, 30

  Adam M. Stump (U.S. Air Force): 19

  INDEX

  ABC News, 246, 371

  Abdullah Abdullah, 164, 238

  Abdullah, King, 190

  Abdulmutallab, Umar, 340–41

  Abizaid, John, 118

  Afghan Hands, 149

  Afghan National Army (ANA), 42, 80, 84, 110, 130, 132, 249, 320

  Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP), 360

  Afghan National Directorate for Security, 42

  Afghan National Police, 42, 80, 84, 110, 147, 225–26, 232, 320

  Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), 131, 165, 204, 219, 220, 225, 230, 252, 262–64, 270, 291, 293, 294, 299, 302, 320, 325, 329, 348

  Afghan prison system, 178

  Afghan Taliban, 3, 65, 100, 145, 187, 189, 203, 215, 241

  Afghanistan author in, 126–36

  Biden in, 65–70

  corruption in, 43–44, 128, 218, 219, 220, 224–26, 230, 239 />
  elections in, 96, 97–98, 136, 146–48, 226, 238, 347

  Jones in, 126–36, 140–43

  Afghanistan-Pakistan border, 3, 42, 75, 203, 212, 224, 235, 359–60

  Afghanistan-Pakistan Center of Excellence (CentCom), 78, 346

  Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review, 161–69, 170–71, 186–91, 202–4, 207–11, 214–21, 222–33, 239–44, 250–54, 257–60, 262–64, 268–83, 290–299, 301–6, 307–8, 348–52, 355–57

  final strategy decision, 290, 311–17, 318–22, 324–31, 383–88

  NSC principals meetings on, 202–4, 212–13, 238–39, 248–49, 262–63

  Afghanistan War Americanization of, 135, 150–51, 276

  costs for, 107, 251, 263, 327

  JACKAL teams, 7

  Lute report on, 40–44

  McChrystal as Afghanistan commander, 85, 118–119, 120, 123–25, 133–34, 318

  McChrystal’s assessment of, 124–25, 153–56, 175–84

  McChrystal’s resignation as

  Afghanistan commander, 371–74

  McChrystal’s strategy review team, 148–53

  Obama’s first NSC meeting on, 79–81

  Obama’s speeches on, 113–14, 330–35

  Petraeus as new Afghanistan commander, 373–74, 379

  Riedel review, 88–90, 96, 97, 99–110, 111, 113, 114, 119, 124, 145

  Strategic Implementation Plan for, 145–46

  troop draw down date, 290, 302, 305, 312, 314–15, 319, 320–21, 324, 331, 335–37, 376

  troop requests for, 70, 80–81, 94–98, 123, 132, 140–42, 156, 171, 186, 192–93, 195, 205–6, 212–13, 216–17, 225, 228, 234–35, 249–50, 251–54, 257–60, 262–64, 270, 271–73, 275–78, 290–95

  Air Force (U.S.), 25, 32, 257, 259

  Air Force One, 104, 109, 183, 194, 280, 334

  Air Force Two, 159

  al Qaeda, 3, 4, 89, 105–6, 108, 117, 364

  and Afghanistan, 70–71

  and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, 162–63, 187, 188–90, 202, 203, 224, 227, 314

  LeT and, 45

  U.S. recruits, 121, 122

  “Alternative Mission in Afghanistan,” 276, 277, 281–83

  Amanpour, Christiane, 204

  American Cemetery, Normandy, France, 124

  Andrews Air Force Base, 126, 334

  Angor Adda, FATA, Pakistan, 8

  AQAP (al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula), 8, 341

  Arg-e-Shahi presidential palace (Afghanistan), 128

  Arlington Cemetery, 266

  Army Field Manual, 55, 56

  Associated Press, 361

  Atkinson, Rick, 378

  Atmar, Mohammad Hanif, 67

  Austin, Lloyd, III, 85

  Awlaki, Anwar al-, 341

  Axelrod, David M., 137, 141, 144, 246–47

  and Clinton as secretary of state, 26–27

  and McChrystal, 194

  and Obama, 26–27, 74, 141, 191, 195, 246–47, 332

  and Petraeus, 158, 191

  and Riedel, 105, 109

  Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan, 366

  Balad Airbase, Iraq, 85

  Ball, George, 170

  Baluchistan province, Pakistan, 7, 215

  Baradar, Abdul Ghani, 356

  Bethesda Naval Hospital, 131, 229

  Bhutto, Benazir, 62–63, 86, 115, 117, 136, 285

  Biden, Beau, 64

  Biden, Joseph R.

  in Afghanistan, 65–70

  and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review, 159–160, 163, 166–67, 170, 185–86, 187, 188, 189, 190, 204, 210, 217, 221, 229, 231, 240, 254–55, 260, 262–63, 270, 271, 272, 291, 299, 323, 324, 328

  counterterrorism plus strategy, 102, 159–60, 166, 219, 234–35

  and Eikenberry, 217, 218, 221

  and Hayden, 54

  on Holbrooke, 72

  and hybrid option, 234–37, 272, 273

  and Karzai, 66–70, 72, 163

  and McChrystal, 159–60, 372

  and McKiernan, 70–71

  and Obama, 51, 62, 72–73, 80–81, 160, 163, 270–71, 275, 288–91, 305, 309–10, 323, 324, 328, 329, 332, 354, 372

  in Pakistan, 62–65

  Petraeus on, 210

  and Riedel, 101–2, 104, 108, 110

  on war game (Poignant Vision), 275

  bin Laden, Osama, 3, 18, 88, 103, 105, 106, 122, 162, 185, 330

  Blagojevich, Rod, 51, 55

  Blair, Dennis C., DNI

  and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, 162–63, 186–87, 202, 224, 238, 239, 265

  chosen as DNI, 58–59, 60–61

  and Christmas Day bombing, 340–41, 342

  and Emanuel, 121–22

  fired as DNI, 370–71

  former Joint Staff director, 118

  and Mullen, 101

  and Obama, 58, 121–22, 162–63, 341–42, 370–71

  and Pakistan, 287–89

  and Petraeus, 78

  and war game (Poignant Vision), 244, 245, 275

  Blair House, 354

  Blinken, Anthony J., 71, 159, 235–36, 254, 286, 355

  Boak, Josh, 148, 153

  Bond, Kit, 92–93

  Bosnian War, 72, 240

  Boston University, 86–87

  Boxer, Barbara, 159

  Brahimi, Lakhdar, 357

  Brauchli, Marcus, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182

  Brennan, First Lt. Brian, 267

  Brennan, John O. and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, 227–28, 229, 236, 254–55, 284, 285, 296–97, 319, 321, 355

  and Christmas Day bomber, 340–42

  and nuclear terrorist attack exercise, 362, 363

  and Obama, 227–28, 229, 284, 289, 319, 321, 340–42

  British Special Forces, 193

  Brookings Institution, 88, 149

  Brown, Harold, 84

  Bundy, McGeorge, 130, 279

  Bush administration and military contingency planning, 35

  and NSC, 36, 37

  search for bin Laden and, 106

  Bush Doctrine, 45, 328

  Bush, George H. W., 19, 51

  Bush, George W., 10, 53, 54, 74, 169

  and Iraq War, 134, 252, 375

  and Joint Chiefs, 257

  and Karzai, 66, 67

  and Lute, 40–41, 43

  McConnell and, 1, 2

  and Mumbai attacks, 45–47

  NSC meetings, 40–41, 44

  and Obama, 17–18

  and Pakistan, 8, 25

  and Petraeus, 15, 16

  Predator strikes, 4–5

  C-17 (cargo plane), 126, 255

  C-SPAN, 91

  Camp Leatherneck (Afghanistan), 129, 130–31, 135

  Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, 249

  Cantor, Eric, 204

  Carter, Jimmy, 35, 40

  Cartwright, Gen. James E. “Hoss,” 275

  and hybrid option, 235–37, 245, 272, 273, 300

  and McChrystal assessment, 180, 181, 182

  and McDonough, 295, 298

  and Mullen, 235, 236–37, 245, 272–73, 275, 294–96, 307, 312, 324

  and Obama, 235–38, 307–9, 324

  and troops issue, 94, 294–96, 307–9, 312

  Casey, Gen. George, 118, 258–60

  Casey, William J., 19, 128

  Castellano, Gen. Rosario, 151–52

  CBS News, 337

  Center for a New American Security, 152

  Center for Security Policy, 247

  Center for Strategic and

  International Studies, 149

  Central Command (CentCom), 15, 16, 22, 32, 76, 78, 118, 138, 346

  Chamber of Commerce, U.S., 39, 58

  Chandrasekaran, Rajiv, 181

  Cheney, Dick, 16, 169, 247–48

  Chicago magazine, 27

  Chicago Tribune, 27, 148

  China, 9–10, 216, 289

  Christmas Day bomber, 340–41

  Christopher, Warren, 40

  CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and bin Laden, 103

  B
lair and, 370–71

  Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams (CTPT), 8, 52, 160, 265, 355, 367

  covert action programs, 51–56, 370

  Gates and, 19

  Hayden as director, 18, 25–26, 46–50

  interrogation program, 49

  and ISI, 4, 46

  and Karzai family, 65–66, 352

  and Operation High Rise, 122

  in Pakistan, 117, 286–87

  Panetta chosen as director, 57–58, 59

  Panetta’s confirmation hearings, 91–93

  Clinton, Bill, 1, 13, 27, 28–29

  Clinton, Chelsea, 29

  Clinton, Hillary Rodham

  and Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy review, 164, 191, 203, 204, 207–8, 209, 213, 216, 222–23, 238, 239, 248, 250–54, 291, 292, 335–36

  chosen as secretary of state, 26–31

  and Eikenberry, 261, 352

  and Holbrooke, 72, 250

  Jones on, 138–39

  and Karzai, 164, 331, 352, 354, 355

  and Keane, 82–85

  and McChrystal, 85, 213, 253–54

  and Obama, 26–31, 39, 57, 72, 96, 102, 104, 148, 164, 169, 191, 209, 222–23, 250, 252, 254, 291, 292–93, 331, 334, 335–36

  and Riedel review, 96, 102

  CNN, 18, 204, 266–68

  Coalition Support Fund, 3, 201

  Cohen, William S., 37

  COIN, see counterinsurgency

  COINistas, see countersinsurgency

  Colby, William J., 89

  Collins, Susan, 155

  Commander’s Emergency Response Program, 240

  Computer Network Attack (CNA), 10

  Computer Network Defense (CND), 10

  Conway, Gen. James, 258, 259–60

  COOPEX 2010 (Continuity of Operations Exercise), 362–63

  Council on Foreign Relations, 149

  counterinsurgency, 83, 84, 86, 114, 141, 183, 219, 314, 315, 325

  Biden and, 166, 219, 236, 237, 272, 273

  COIN, 103, 150, 253, 261, 263

  COINistas, 145, 225, 339, 354, 356

  vs. CT plus, 234–35

  Eikenberry’s reservations about, 261–62

  Gates and, 218–19

  Hayden and, 93–94

  McChrystal and, 150, 151, 217

  Petraeus and, 15, 17, 83, 94, 103, 111, 112, 157, 158, 170–71, 183–84, 191, 203, 220, 225, 241–43, 244–45, 257, 262, 269, 270, 272–75, 294, 297–98, 300, 317, 332, 338, 347, 349, 379