WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today questioned Gen. Joseph Votel, Commander of U.S. Central Command, about the ongoing situation in Afghanistan.

Wicker highlighted the growing concern that the Afghanistan government now controls only 57 percent of the country’s districts – down from 72 percent in 2015. Gen. Votel expressed support for an approach to break the stalemate by improving Afghan air force capabilities and expanding the country’s special forces operations.