Special operations' Afghan role could be expanded

[MR2]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Adm. Bill McRaven said Tuesday that special operations forces in Afghanistan are preparing for a possible expanded role as overall U.S. forces begin to draw down after a decade of war.

McRaven, the special operations commander who led last year's Navy SEAL raid against Osama bin Laden, confirmed that special operations forces would be the last to leave under the Obama administration's current plan, and that the Pentagon is considering handing more of the Afghan war responsibility over to a senior special operations officer as part of that evolution.

McRaven said special operations would combine targeting and training operations this summer to prepare for a smaller overall U.S. presence, but he stressed that no final decisions had been made.

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[Badger52]

During McRaven's remarks at a Washington area hotel, there was an outburst from a retired special operations general who was angry at media coverage of special operations missions, such [as] last year's Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, and the recent SEAL rescue of two western hostages in Somalia.

"Get the hell out of the media," retired Lt. Gen. James Vaught shouted at McRaven.

McRaven calmly responded that avoiding media coverage was impossible in the 24-hour news cycle, and that while he objected to revealing sensitive tactics, the media could be useful, especially when reporting operations gone wrong.

"Having those failures exposed in the media helps us do a better job," McRaven said. "So sometimes the spotlight on us makes us better."

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