Paul Szoldra, Task & Purpose: Here’s How Top Military Leaders Have Described US ‘Progress’ In Afghanistan Over The Last Decade
There has been a lot of progress happening in Afghanistan over the 17 years the United States has been fighting there — at least, according to the Pentagon’s top military minds.
Despite the Taliban briefly seizing the city of Ghazni earlier this month — thus sending a message to Afghans that their central government, just 100 miles away in Kabul, can’t protect them — and a one-year-old strategy that hasn’t changed much on the ground in terms of control of districts, the top American commander has joined the chorus of other senior leaders highlighting progress achieved thus far.
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WNU Editor: This says it all ....
.... Next month, Army Gen. Austin Miller assumes command of the war. He’ll be the ninth American in charge of that effort, out of 18 total commanders in Afghanistan since 2002.
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How America's Wars Have Created Piles Of Debt (And Little Strategic Benefit)
There has been positive signs coming out of Afghanistan. I am referring to their current leader and an evolving group of increasingly professional and effective Afghan military units, trained and supported by our special forces units.
Take away the addled Karzi, who mucked the situation greatly, and our own genius in all things earthly and beyond for the last 8 years, and the ongoing and nearly unchecked interference of pack-uh-stan then perhaps the years we have spent there don't have such a bad appearance. Not good but not so bad and I would say noticeably improving as of the last couple of years. Nonetheless it is not the same military that in essence saved the rest of the world as we did in WWII when we were described as the arsenal of democracy....or was it the arsenal of the free world? Haven't had my tea this morning. And it is the Afghani military, to boot.
And as Fred's link asks, at what cost to us.
My own personal feelings are I despise the likes of the islamists. As Mattis says, some people need to be shot. There is no defending their behavior. They are dinosaurs in the age of mammals. Smoke signals in the age of cell phones.
I like to think we are out of the period when the rah rah types were punching their promotion ticket in Afghanistan. Who was that uninspiring bundle of military modesty who was in charge when the now decaying at the ocean's bottom clown who slept through history class bin laden [notice the past tense 'been'] escaped in the Tora Bora fiasco{?}....can't recall his name he was so forgettable but his incompetence was not.
And not unlike Ho Chi Mihn and Giap, who planned history's largest military miscalculation, TET, the Taliban accomplished little of military note at Ghazani when they caused the usual Taliban burning of shops, cars, and infrastructure then left because they couldn't hold on to anything but headlines in a not always unbiased press.
This has been going on for a long time. On the other hand so has the acceptance of the flaws that have impacted success against the Taliban, US general after US general, year after year. We've all been exposed to the flaws in Afghan culture and how this mindset has impacted the Afghan military; the ghost soldiers, the graft and corruption, etc. I am of the opinion that is diminishing overall and is not nearly as extant as in the past. Especially in the two divisions that are increasingly displaying signs of professionalism and with whom the US special forces have been working for two or more years.
You can't overnight undo centuries of methodology. Patience and professionalism are needed. Not ticket punchers whose tours don't last a year on the ladder of promotion and who are not greatly suited for the commander's slot in this type of war in the first place.
Like Vietnam, this war also had it's learning curve. I'd say this war is finally out of the vertical learning curve.
I'm putting on my flak vest and steel pot for feedback. Filling sandbags. And stacking ammo.
Fire away.
Roger
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