11 and a half years into a military occupation that has gone from bad to worse, the US has a new commander in Afghanistan. Gen. Joseph Dunford, the latest in a long line of commanders, still sees a military victory on the horizon.

“I’m very clear that we’re here to win,” Dunford insisted, adding that he believes elections in 2014 in Afghanistan are crucial to the decade to follow. The US has signed a deal to keep troops in Afghanistan through 2024.

Dunford expressed confidence that the strategy in place for years is on track, and that the continued transition of security to Afghan forces control remains a key goal, and one he is optimistic about, and insists the only threat remains “lack of confidence.”

That’s never been a problem for incoming US commanders, who seem to come into the war every year or so brimming with optimism about staying the course, only to leave at the end of a very brief tour as leader thoroughly exhausted, and giving way to another general with an equally rosy outlook.