KABUL – *Joe Dunford, the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrivedin Afghanistan late Monday to assess the campaign plan now that allpersonnel are in place and the South Asia strategy is in full swing.*

“I want to talk to the actual advisors who are working on the ground withthe Afghans every day and make some conclusions about where we are,”Dunford told reporters traveling with him, according to the Pentagon.

Dunford is traveling with a larger than normal party, including seniorofficials on the Joint Staff who specialize in intelligence, strategy andlogistics.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. John W. Troxell, the chairman’s senior enlistedadvisor, is also in the party. These officials will travel throughoutAfghanistan to gather assessments for the chairman on how the effort isgoing, ultimately enabling Dunford to get a full picture of the variouschallenges ahead.

The general will meet with senior Afghan and US officials to get a top-downlook at the situation, but he really wants to meet with soldiers of the 1stSecurity Force Assistance Brigade, which deployed to Afghanistan inFebruary and is now close to full strength.