Obama on Afghanistan: America's Key Goals Can Be Completed 'Without Us Increasing Our Troop Levels'

The president said he will reassess the possible need for additional U.S. troops in Afghanistan after the Afghan national elections in August. The narrow national security goal, he said, is to ensure terrorist organizations are not acting with impunity. To that end, the U.S. must help build the Afghan army and encourage Pakistan to shore up its borders, he said. “I think those goals can be achieved without us increasing our troop levels.”