Washington, DC- U.S. Senator Jim Risch, ranking member of the Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Middle East and Southeast Asia, issued this statement following President Obama's address to the nation on the mission in Afghanistan and the deployment of additional troops.

"Sending additional troops to Afghanistan is, unfortunately, necessary at this time. We have the best fighting men and women in the world who are risking their lives and at the very least, we owe them the resources their commanders request to accomplish their mission-in this case fighting al Qaeda overseas instead of at home.

Having said that, my committee work in the Senate, my meetings with many people connected to the issue and my visit to Afghanistan earlier this year have convinced me we need to focus on clear, definable objectives there, not just troop numbers. To date we have failed to do so.

The President has now given an outline of his plan. I want to review in further detail the administration's plans for objectives and the methods for completing those objectives. I will be watching very closely as the process unfolds to see if this strategy is achieving the desired objectives and ultimately rooting out al Qaeda and bringing our troops home."

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