But I have found that another kind of study often is required to truly understand the complex issues facing our nation, especially when it comes to homeland security and America's battle against terrorism.
Quite simply, you must see things for yourself. You must experience the events that are unfolding - even if that requires some extraordinary measures. To assess America's fight against terrorism and to understand what our troops and military commanders require, I recently joined several of my colleagues from the Senate Armed Services Committee on an official visit to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.
We logged more than 50 hours of flight time aboard U.S. military aircraft. At each destination, our full schedules included critical meetings with top foreign leaders and U.S. military commanders. We also were honored to meet and talk with hundreds of American troops, several of them from Maine.
I call it the "boots on the ground" approach. And while grueling and physically challenging at times, I found the eight-day visit invaluable to my understanding of the rapidly changing landscape in Iraq and Afghanistan.
From this trip, I came away with two striking conclusions:
First, the situation in Iraq has improved greatly since I last visited in December 2006. This time, I found a people and a country renewed and moving forward to a brighter future. I found hope and opportunity. The sacrifices of American troops and the Iraqi people have made a difference; we are seeing the rebirth of a nation, freed from tyranny and savagery.
Second, the situation in Afghanistan has worsened significantly. I found American troops carrying the bulk of the military assignment, valiantly and courageously, but often with too few Afghan countrymen by their side. The Afghan military situation "is serious and deteriorating," according to General Stanley McChrystal, the new commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, with whom we met in Kabul.
The national security questions facing us are critical: Should we deploy more U.S. troops to Afghanistan? What more can be done to increase the number of Afghan fighters and to further diminish the hold by the Taliban?
Afghanistan was the most important part of our journey. Very soon, the United States will decide whether or not to send more troops there beyond the 20,000 additional troops already deployed by the Obama Administration. In the near future, this latest deployment will bring the total number of American troops serving in Afghanistan close to 68,000.
To get answers, we traveled to Kabul from Yemen, a five-hour flight. We were greeted at the airport by General McChrystal, who took us to his headquarters. It was a sobering journey. Earlier that week, a suicide bomber had killed several people and injured nearly 100 others. It was an unwelcome reminder of how much more dangerous Afghanistan has become since my last visit.
General McChrystal is a smart, focused counter-insurgency expert who previously headed the U.S. Army Special Forces Command. A straight-forward leader, he won my confidence with his frank answers to my questions about Afghanistan in a meeting in my office prior to his confirmation.
At headquarters, we also met with Karl Eikenberry, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and former commanding general of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, along with various aides. General McChrystal provided a detailed briefing, beginning with his blunt assessment about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. He showed us a color-coded map that pinpoints areas of Taliban control and outlined the new military strategy. It is called "clear, build, hold, and transition," and it began July 2 with the deployment of two additional battalions of Marines in Helmand province.
A great deal of our discussion focused on whether more U.S. troops will be needed. It seemed pretty clear to me that General McChrystal would request more troops, although he did not say this explicitly. While I have enormous respect for General McChrystal, I remain troubled by the prospect of deploying more American troops.
I asked General McChrystal whether any of the Taliban are reconcilable. In replying "yes," he made an interesting distinction between "Big T," the Taliban leaders driven by extremist ideology and often from outside the region, versus "Little T," the local day-laborer who works for the Taliban simply for money.
My concerns about Afghanistan grew the following day as we traveled from Kabul to Camp Leatherneck in southern Afghanistan. Our destination: Helmand Province, which is much hotter, drier, and windier than Kabul. The Marine base is carved out of a featureless desert. Everything from tents to vehicles is coated with wind-blown sand.
Helmand is a Taliban stronghold and part of RC-3 (Regional Command-3). Brigadier General Lawrence Nicholson, the terrific commander of RC-3, has sacrificed a lot for our country. He currently is assigned as the Commanding General, 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Seriously wounded in action in Iraq, he recovered and, rather than retiring, is now in charge of the new strategy to reclaim southern Afghanistan from the Taliban.
General Nicholson talked to us about the tremendous courage of our troops and their progress in routing the "Big T" Taliban from the villages. There is no doubt that the Marines are highly effective. They also are suffering casualties. While at Camp Leatherneck, I was very saddened to learn of the death of Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard of New Portland, Maine, who had died a few days earlier in combat operations in Helmand.
After General Nicholson's briefing, I was left with two major concerns.
First, the ratio of our troops to the Afghan Army members in Helmand makes little sense. There are some 10,000 American troops in the region, but only about 800 Afghan troops. While at 90,000 members the Afghan Army isn't as large as it should be, surely more Afghan troops could be deployed to this region.
Second, it appears to me that we don't have enough civilians from America and other countries working with the Afghans to provide security, basic services, and governance structures once the Marines clear out the Taliban.
The strategy of "clear, hold, build, and transition" cannot succeed unless more civilians embrace the concepts of "build and transition." The Marines battle the Taliban village by village, freeing these communities from repression and fear. But if the villages aren't later secured, then the Taliban return. A counter-insurgency strategy depends on a unity of effort between the military and the civilian infrastructures. At this juncture, I believe the civilian side is severely understaffed for the mission.
The two "surges" that I think may be needed are surges of Afghan troops and of American civilian employees. Yet, much of the congressional debate about conditions in Afghanistan has focused exclusively on whether to send more American troops, and too little on how to involve greater numbers of Afghan troops and civilian personnel.
After the briefing, we had lunch with Marines from our respective states. For me, this was one of the high points of our trip. I enjoyed talking with Marines who hail from several Maine communities as well as with a civilian, Dr. Joseph Mickiewicz, who turns out to be the son-in-law of John Dionne of Grand Isle, Maine.
At the lunch, I asked the Marines to share their concerns. Two of them told me exactly what I perceived from the briefing: after they fight to drive the Taliban out of a village, there isn't the required follow-up to secure and stabilize the town.
The Marines also told me that when they arrived in May, they did not have the equipment that they needed for some time. This is a disturbing problem that I will pursue with Department of Defense officials.
On a more positive note, the Marines proudly described their successes in battling the Taliban and in working with local Afghan leaders. One Marine relayed how a local leader urged residents to work with the Americans by telling them: "The Taliban don't build schools; they burn schools!"
The Maine Marines are an impressive group, and I told them how proud we all are of their sacrifices and service.
Obstacles and setbacks aside, our troops are excelling in their military goals, despite costly losses in lives and treasure. It is important that we not lose sight of the progress that has been made and that continues to be made, every day, by our dedicated armed forces.
But the road to victory is a long one, and it requires sacrifice, study and an informed strategy.
To keep my Maine constituents apprised of what I was seeing during this trip, and to include them in my "boots on the ground" experience, I wrote a daily blog where I shared insights, perspectives and reports from the soldiers, military officials and foreign leaders with whom I met. You can find all of my blog entries at http://senatorcollins.blogspot.com
I ended my last blog entry with this sentiment: I am so glad to be back home in America. Indeed I am. And I will work hard in the coming months to make sure that our brave men and women serving in these war-torn areas can express that same sentiment as soon as possible.