How did the administration come up with the target date of July 2011 to begin withdrawing troops?
The administration believes that given the resources — more than 30,000 extra U.S. and NATO troops to fight and train — the handoff of some territory is possible. “We will be in a position, particularly in uncontested areas, where we will be able to begin that transition in July 2011,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee. The administration also believes a date has to be set, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the committee — that it sends a signal to the Afghan government that this is not an endless transition. But neither is the United States “locked” into leaving, said Clinton. “The United States is not interested in occupying Afghan, we are not interested in running their country, building their nation. We are trying to give them the space and time to be able to build up sufficient forces to defend themselves,” Clinton said. “By July 2011, there can be the beginning of a responsible transition that will of course be based on conditions
