Afghan soldiers turned guns on their US and NATO trainers more in 2011 than perhaps any other year, and the military organization running the war in Afghanistan has responded by choosing not to report details of these incidents. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a NATO-led security mission established by the UN Security Council in [...]
Afghanistan
Unreasonable Risk and Ill-Conceived Combat Missions
During an exchange with a senatorial aide, I received from him the link to a piece written by Col. Tony Pfaff, US Army. The piece is entitled “Risk, Military Ethics and Irregular Warfare.” In this piece the colonel details the problems encountered in asymmetrical combat, the unwieldy and artificially established parameters thrust upon not only [...]
The most Recent Incident of U.S. Warrior Murders; A Peek at Pragmatism, Piety, and Patience in Islamic Afghan culture.
Today, Matt Lauer did us proud. He asked the question that the Media has thus far not dared to ask: Is there anything to these incidences involving Afghan National Soldiers and Police turning their weapons on their American and ISAF Trainer/Handlers? Until today, the standard answer has been that these were individual acts of murder [...]
The Taliban Threat Matrix
The following is from the Nov. 16th edition of Liberty & Security Journal. Download the digital version By Gary H. Johnson, Jr. On October 25, 2010, the Afghan Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) and the Afghan NGO Safety Office (ANSO) issued a joint press release regarding the banning of Private Security Contractors in Afghanistan [...]
The CFR’s Assessment of the U.S. Effort in Afghanistan
The following is from the Nov. 16th edition of Liberty & Security Journal. Download the digital version By John Bernard Prior to the release of the Obama administration’s annual review of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and with the July 2011 troop withdrawal date rapidly approaching, an independent task force sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations [...]
Who is the bigger enemy: the Taliban or our strategy?
The following is from the Nov. 16th edition of Liberty & Security Journal. Download the digital version By Chris Carter “We are pinned down. We are running low on ammo. We have no air. We’ve lost today,” Marine Maj. Kevin Williams told his Afghan translator as Afghan soldiers repeatedly asked for helicopter support. American military [...]
Taliban propagandists spin failed attack on air base
The following is from the Nov. 16th edition of Liberty & Security Journal. Download the digital version Nov. 13: A Taliban spokesman has claimed that an assault against an air base in Afghanistan killed dozens coalition troops and destroyed numerous aircraft. No actual injuries or damage have been reported, but several Taliban fighters were killed [...]
How Do You Like Me Now…
The following is from the Nov. 5, 2010 edition of Liberty & Security Journal. By John J. Bernard A few days ago, Stratfor reported that the Iranian government had been funneling money into the government of Afghanistan through President Hamid Karzai’s Chief of Staff, Umar Daudzai. In the early days of the story, the Afghan [...]
Afghanistan: Understanding the Failure
This article can be found in the Oct. 8, 2010 edition of the Victory Institute’s publication, Liberty & Security Journal By: John Bernard A COUPLE OF WEEKS ago during a radio show appearance, I discussed the complexities of fighting a war based upon a faulty assessment of the enemy. During the interview, the host stated [...]
The Pen vs The Sword or, the Willing vs the Unwilling
In the ongoing discussion about the validity of the use of COIN doctrine in an ideologically monolithic society, there is no end to the number of people willing to join the conversation. In general, I have no problem with that as long as they are equally ready to place their collective butts where their collective [...]
