Shifting to "Advise and Assist Role" in Afghanistan

Leon Panetta's recent announcement that the U.S. will move from a "combat' role to "advise and assist" role in Afghanistan in mid-2013 has caught some observers by surprise and spurred a flurry of commentary.  Read one online article entitled "US troops in Afghanistan: How big is shift from 'combat' to 'assistance'?", The Christian Science Monitor, February 2, 2012.