Muted hopes in Afghanistan

[rug]

The writer, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, was a combat adviser in Iraq in 2011. The views expressed are his own and do not represent the position of the U.S. government.

By Michael Brough
Published: August 16

Two days before the U.S. military mission in Iraq formally ended in 2011, I left with the last convoy of Americans from Contingency Operating Site Kalsu, south of Baghdad. Safely crossing the border into Kuwait meant that we had accomplished our most important mission: getting out of the country alive, without any strategic blunders. If the U.S. troops in Afghanistan also can attain this goal, which will not be easy, they will have achieved the best we can hope for in that country.

Now, as in the last days of Iraq, U.S. hopes are muted. Previous aspirations for democracy and freedom have shrunk, and most of us will be happy if the United States can extricate itself quietly without further damage or embarrassment. The cornerstone of the plan to exit Iraq was the training of Iraqi police and military forces, enabling them to create a safe environment during and after our departure. It’s the centerpiece of operations in Afghanistan, as well.

As the months march toward the end of the major U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, the stresses on units will grow. Life becomes increasingly austere at the end: creature comforts vanish, food quality worsens, mail stops. Tactically, the focus alters. Yesterday’s top priorities — defeating the enemy, building up the indigenous forces — become less important than leaving with each soldier safe. It becomes clearer by the day that, barring some deus ex machina, the U.S. endeavor will make no strategically significant gains, though the potential for significant losses increases by the week.

As troop densities diminish, soldiers take on new tasks, each of which constitutes a distraction from combat missions. Accounting for the detritus accumulated through a decade of war is not simple, nor is packing up and preparing for departure. As a result of these tasks, gradually decreasing combat power and the desire to avoid rankling local civilians, soldiers will confine their patrols to areas close to the base and directly linked to U.S. force protection. Challenges will increase toward the end, as surveillance equipment, interpreters and weapons systems disappear. U.S. units will need to transfer security responsibilities to Afghans as we did to Iraqis and they will need to pray those forces hold their ground.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/muted-hopes-in-afghanistan/2013/08/16/972e1e2a-0378-11e3-9259-e2aafe5a5f84_story.html

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. We lost. (Again). Get out. Get over it.

[rug]

2. "the best we can hope for" sounds like a rousing cry.

[KG]

3. 'Previous aspirations for democracy and freedom have shrunk...'

this guy was deluded if he thought that was ever a goal in this clusterfuck...

[DreamGypsy]

4. The best outcome for the U.S. departure from Afghanistan?

...the final line from the Opinion piece:

The best outcome for the U.S. departure from Afghanistan? A safe exodus and a slow news day.

Sigh.

And we're still losing lives and making enemies in Afghanistan. There have been 12 U.S. military deaths since July 16th. How many drone strikes...we don't know because the Air Force stopped reporting the data in March.