Video: Afghanistan: Defence Secretary announces speedier pull-out of UK forces The 5,200 number has been arrived at through a bottom-up process of military logic and military planning, looking at the shape of the force and the scale of the force to deliver the tasks that we expect to be delivering by the end of 2013. The message is clear ... everybody talks of an increasing confidence, of an increasing competence and an increasing willingness to engage by the Afghan forces - a step change in the level of what they are able to do.