The top U.S.and NATO military commander there, Army General Stanley McChrystal, has warned the United States could lose the conflict if additional forces are not deployed.

VOA: standard.2009.10.26

It was also responsible for the creation of a separate Department of the Air Force from the existing United States Army Air Forces.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The National Security Act of 1947

As Army forces become ever more concentrated in the continental United States, the national need for the means to redeploy them to distant battlefields will increase markedly.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center for Security Policy | A Scorecard On The Defense Budget: Preserving Key Priorities And Programs In An Era Of Cuts

The United States and international security forces also need to strongly focus on countering the rifts within the Afghan army.

CNN: Karzai visit a time for tough talk on security, corruption