Forward Operating Base Salerno, situated north of Khost City, is a main Coalition hub for operations in southeastern Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Lieutenant Colonel James Megellas.From War Is Boring:
Before General David Petraeus’ “surge” strategy spread U.S. forces in Iraq into the communities they were supposed to be protecting, American troops had a bad habit of concentrating in “super” Forward Operating Bases. This isolated them from the local population — a big no-no in accepted counter-insurgency thinking.
The Brits in southern Iraq never did break that “bunker” mentality, and paid for it by losing control of Basra, Iraq’s second city.
Is the U.S. Army in Afghanistan repeating that error? One blogger thinks so. Babatim at Free Range International is a contractor with years of experience in Afghanistan. “We have hamstrung our efforts by placing our maneuver forces in ‘big box’ FOBs,” he writes. “Afghanistan as viewed from behind the wire of a big box is not the Afghanistan I know and see daily. It can’t be — that is nature of an isolated, high security FOB — it completely removes you from meaningful interaction with the local people.”
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My Comment: I think this strategy is changing .... or at least I am hoping that it will change with the surge that is happening now.
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