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The question of whether to send an extra 2,000 British troops to Helmand has been a constant problem for Gordon Brown.
Army commander General Sir David Richards is clear that the 2,000 will be needed for at least 18 months to hold what gains have been made in the big operations this summer, and to stand a chance of turning the tide against the Taliban.
Having led allied forces in Afghanistan for more than a year, he is more qualified than any other senior British commander to call the shots on this one. Mr Brown knows this.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth was jolted during his weekend visit to the battle zone when told in no uncertain terms by Sergeant Tim Hughes that it wasn't more kit so much as more troops that were required. Mr Ainsworth knows troops were spread so thin this summer, particularly at hotspots like Sangin, that they were nearly overrun.
The ditherer in this story appears to be none other than Mr President himself. Barack Obama seems reluctant to follow General Stanley McChrystal's recommendation. Mr Obama is bunkered by opposition from his Democrats in Congress and the gloomsters like Colin Powell who keep rumbling on about Vietnam.
The British say they need “a bridging force” to consolidate on the ground and really start the rebuilding process.
Extraordinarily, it is now up to President Obama to follow the decisive advice of his own and his allied British generals.
