ABSTRACT
During a speech at West Point in December 2009, President Barack Obama announced one of the more controversial strategic shifts of his presidency. He had decided that an additional 30,000 US troops would be sent to Afghanistan, in what he believed was a final effort to set that country on a different and more stable path. As an example of how a seasoned and politically astute general can steer his or her commander-in-chief toward a desired strategic change, consider Powell's influence on strategic decisions prior to the 1991 Persian Gulf War. According to early accounts, Trump's reservations about staying in Afghanistan had been worn down by debates with three members of his national security staff, all of whom were serving officers or retired military: Defense Secretary James Mattis, National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster, and Chief of Staff John Kelly.
