Thom Shanker in The Times: “On Afghanistan’s battlefields, the most significant effect of President Obama’s latest orders will be felt at this time next year, when as many as 23,000 American troops who would have been on missions at the peak of the summer fighting season will instead be packing for home.
This will make it more difficult, if not impossible, military experts said, for the commanders to carry out one of their major goals for next year.”

What were the major goals for next year again?