Congressman Allen West has written a letter to Secretary of the USAF Donley. He has requested a sense of what the USAF is going to do to deal EXPEDITIOUSLY with a glaring need. The Afghans need the kind of fighting equipment that helps them and helps us make the transition towards a smaller Allied force in Afghanistan. That equipment is the Light Air Support Aircraft.
Congressman West is one of the few Congressmen with actual combat experience and he focuses in his letter on the combat needs of the American soldier and his allies.
According to the Combat Veterans for Congress:
Lt. Col. Allen West has a Masters Degree in Political Science from Kansas State University, has a very impressive and honorable military career; he completed a 1 ½ year combat tour of duty in Iraq, and a 2½ year combat tour of duty in Afghanistan building the Security Institutions and the National Army of Afghanistan. In support of the United States goals in Iraq, Lt. Col. West was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Combat “V”, and many other medals for his patriotic service.
http://combatveteransforcongress.org/cand/16
The Congressman underscores that “the safety of our men and women on the ground in Afghanistan and the security of our nation depend upon an Afghan military that is capable of defending against the Taliban and other extremist organizations. A light air support capability is essential to this objective…..What is the Air Force’s plan for getting the light air support capability in-the-theatre as expeditiously as possible?”
