What is the US's Best Course of Action in Afghanistan?

LTC Tom Jones — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 19:35:36 -0400

Government on the verge of collapse. Taliban in "take no prisoners" mode.

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Aug 12 at 2021 7:36 PM

Lt Col Charlie Brown — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 19:36:51 -0400

Get our translators and families out ASAP

Response by SSG John Oliver made Aug 12 at 2021 8:00 PM

SSG John Oliver — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 20:00:15 -0400

Shouldn't have been there in the first place. We did the best we could and now it's time for the Afghans to step up their game. If they run and hide that's on them

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 12 at 2021 8:04 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 20:04:09 -0400

What we did which is leave. This isn't our problem to figure out. If the Afghan people want their country back from the Taliban they need to take it back.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Aug 12 at 2021 10:31 PM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 22:31:00 -0400

We left, we don't have a real course of action outside of our interests at the US Embassy. It's hard to watch I admit. I hate to see all that time, effort, blood, sweat and lives lost for the enemy to waltz right in.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Aug 12 at 2021 11:16 PM

CSM Charles Hayden — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 23:16:11 -0400

LTC Tom Jones Sorry Colonel, my response: (deleted), My dedication to the military is failing. POTUS Trump was correct, the ‘generals’ did not know what they were doing innAfghanistan with a nationwide insurgency and a vastly dispersed population.

After reading ‘One Tribe at a Time’ and ‘American Spartan’ re: CPT Jim Gant, I believe the military’s hierarchy did not really want to fight a war using the newly branched Special Forces Branch of the US Army to win hearts and minds.

General Petraeus‘s ‘Blessing’ of ‘One Tribe at a Time’ was not sufficient to compel the Big Army to fight little wars in small villages!

Given that the media often mentions corruption within the wanna be Afghanistan government and it’s failure to support their troops via pay, beans and bullets is disheartening. I would appreciate knowing the amount ofAmerican dollars that has accrued to the bank accounts that officials of that ‘government’ have established in Switzerland.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Aug 13 at 2021 2:55 AM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 02:55:40 -0400

My personal opinion, and it might come across as harsh, but we gave them 20 years to build up governance and the military. It’s on them.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2021 7:22 AM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 07:22:33 -0400

We've waisted money, we've waisted time, we lost unneeded blood and lives. Unless we set up permanent bases in the region it's no longer our concern. The nation no longer wishes to support military operations in the region. This is going to be come a second Vietnam depending on the actions of our government.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2021 7:56 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 07:56:51 -0400

4 president in 20 years and we couldn't figure it out. We just need to get out and focus on our country with education, healthcare, etc.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2021 8:20 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 08:20:19 -0400

Get out. It’s over. Very sad and tragic, but without a massive increase in US troops doing the fighting, which our country has very little appetite for, it’s over. I hope we bring out the brave Afghans who fought with us

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Aug 13 at 2021 8:29 AM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 08:29:23 -0400

The trend seems to follow the same pattern that happens in Afghanistan since Alexander. It's not that the Afghans have defeated larger Armies, it has to be one of most conquered places in the world. The issue always becomes when does the cost of maintaining a presence there out weight the benefits? The answer has always been to abandon it. The country is not of a particular strategic value, you can't develop what resources the country does contain because of sectarian infighting, and it hasn't been on a trade route in about 600 years.
There probably has never been a good answer, but while I am in no fashion a Biden fan, this one as been too long coming.

Response by MSgt Dale Johnson made Aug 13 at 2021 8:29 AM

MSgt Dale Johnson — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 08:29:54 -0400

If they are not willing to fight for their country and go back to the Middle Ages in respect to how their country is I don't give a hoot.

The part that worries me is the Taliban will now allow the same Al Qaeda type of organizations to flourish within the country and we may end up with another 9/11 incident.

Response by LT Michael Watson made Aug 13 at 2021 10:15 AM

LT Michael Watson — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 10:15:52 -0400

Another case in which “nation building” is a failed concept. We need to get our personnel and those Afghani’ that stood with us out. Afghanistan has proven to be a civilizations wasteland since before Alexander the Great.

Response by SPC Kevin McMurtury made Aug 13 at 2021 10:37 AM

SPC Kevin McMurtury — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 10:37:39 -0400

Get out, they won't let us do are jobs there anyway.

Response by SPC Arthur Lowder made Aug 13 at 2021 12:17 PM

SPC Arthur Lowder — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 12:17:17 -0400

GET OUT, WHERE IS THE AFGHAN MILITARY.

Response by SrA Charly Mathews made Aug 13 at 2021 12:33 PM

SrA Charly Mathews — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 12:33:17 -0400

Air Strikes, get in and get out.

Response by GySgt Kenneth Pepper made Aug 13 at 2021 2:21 PM

GySgt Kenneth Pepper — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 14:21:19 -0400

I hate to say it because so many lost life and limb there, but it was never going to work. . It should have been abandoned long ago.
I know a guy (doesn't everybody) who went over to help train their military. His take was that their leadership was corrupt, lazy and opportunistic.
I would be willing to bet that many of the attack helicopters and other equipment that we shipped over there have already been sold on the black market.
In 5 years they will resurface when they attack a target that actually has value.

Response by SFC Edward Ermey made Aug 13 at 2021 6:35 PM

SFC Edward Ermey — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 18:35:56 -0400

We should have pulled out our equipment as we were pulling out troop's.
Now the Taliban has a bunch of our equipment. Now more Marines have to go back and try and secure the Diplomats withdraw and close out an Embassy, hopefully proper and thorough. Not like Saigon.
Maybe leave a nuclear warhead in the Embassy on a timer when everyone is completely cleared out.
I know the last part sounds brutal, but it may be necessary to save this nation some terrorist problems in the future.

Response by CPT Alexander Grant made Aug 13 at 2021 7:02 PM

CPT Alexander Grant — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 19:02:45 -0400

Do people think that Afghanistan would have played out differently? We never had real victory conditions... plenty of other things for us to take care of; things that impact us every day

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Aug 13 at 2021 8:48 PM

SPC Erich Guenther — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 20:48:00 -0400

We have seen this before, happened in the 1960's and that is why we stepped back then. I don't see any problem with stepping back again and watching to see what happens. We did give the Afghans a chance, 20 years of supporting them and they collapse the same year we announce a pull out. I think the regional players could step-up more. Like Iran, China, whatever the hell the country is to the North and Pakistan.

Iran was actually on our side in Afghanistan and even today you will not hear any Iranian government official criticize our intervention there publicly. I've watched them on YouTube when the subject comes up and they are very careful with their words. Which is rather interesting and 180 degrees different from their feelings on our involvement in Iraq.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Aug 14 at 2021 11:52 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 11:52:14 -0400

Get out while we can. Take as many local nationals who worked for or with us out of the country. Bring their immediate families. Destroy anything of use to the Taliban as we depart. Place moratorium on foreign aid of any type to Afghanistan for 20 years.

Response by SrA Charly Mathews made Aug 16 at 2021 11:12 AM

SrA Charly Mathews — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 11:12:04 -0400

Exactly, it's time to stop fighting the battles of the entire world. Our men and women are dying and getting maimed for what? Countries that don't want to fight their own battle? How about we put some of the billions are dollars into are own wounded and homeless veterans and their families???????

Response by Sgt Dale Briggs made Aug 16 at 2021 12:26 PM

Sgt Dale Briggs — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 12:26:25 -0400

We needed to be out.

When my son was at FOB Fenty the ANA had a tendency to go into town and sell they’re weapons, they’d cone back get issued another. It’s their country to fight for or suffer the wrath of the Talis, odds are your going to be executed anyway might as well fight. End game it’s their country to fight for or not, if they don’t care to do so fine, but we can’t care more than them. The plus is they’ll make no allowances to ISIS, I’d assume they’re not likely to let them get a foothold.

Response by SPC Tristan Myhre made Aug 16 at 2021 6:16 PM

SPC Tristan Myhre — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 18:16:16 -0400

My opinion from contractor experience, use a wholly clandestine effort to exfil everyone we can try to get to. If it comes to a gun fight we must make sure it has full air support, but regardless of how Afghanistan has fallen, we must honor ourselves and our afghan compatriots who did their best to make their country a better place to be with our guidance. They are the primary target now, bound for executions no doubt. Cutting our losses in that regard is a dishonor. They fought with us and for us as much as we did for them right? We could easily piece together some afghan army remnants and some of our own guys and try to get everyone we can out of there within a week or two...we must do this.

Response by PO1 John Hungerford made Aug 16 at 2021 7:02 PM

PO1 John Hungerford — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 19:02:00 -0400

We tried but the bulk of the Afghani population don't want a democratic government as we know it (IMHO)..

Response by PO2 Richard Taylor made Aug 17 at 2021 8:42 AM

PO2 Richard Taylor — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 08:42:22 -0400

We should have pulled out ten years ago.

Response by CPL Adam Schoenwald made Aug 17 at 2021 11:47 AM

CPL Adam Schoenwald — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 11:47:51 -0400

The middle east will always be in flux, it has been for centuries, it wont change anytime soon. We take out one dictator and another (often worse) takes their place. We have spent decades and trillions of dollars and above all American blood to try and stabilize the middle east. The people have to want their country. If you don't fight for it, you will lose it. The problem with the Taliban is their blood thirst. They have publicly made it known that they will side with China and Russia. Unfortunately there is no easy answer to solve the problem if the rest of the world is going to sit on their butts and expect the United States to foot the bill not to mention their own countrymen are unwilling to fight for what is theirs.

Response by SPC Kenneth Koerperich made Aug 17 at 2021 11:43 PM

SPC Kenneth Koerperich — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 23:43:41 -0400

Prime Example of the 3 "P's"....

What needs to happen, but most likely won't w/o the loss of several lives is:

Get American's out...
Since "nobody" planned ahead and rigged all equipment to go "boom" or be "smelted" on the spot...Several MOAB's need to be dropped on our EX Bases, and the Capitol Bldg/Palace...
Then fly away and let it all BURN...

They didn't want to DEFEND themselves, this is what they get.

We as a Nation need to quit sticking our noses in, being everybody else's piggy bank/police force.
Keep our Soldiers at home, send them to the Southern Border to strengthen it, and stop all the BS there...

Then take the $$ that would leave our Nation, and put it into fixing our Homelessness, Drug Addicts, Veteran Programs...so on so forth....

IMO, screw the rest of the World for a bit. Let's take care of ourselves for awhile, and watch the rest self destruct, then go in and clean up when there won't be any opposition.

Start doing this SMARTER....

Response by SGT Mark Kotajarvi made Aug 18 at 2021 12:43 AM

SGT Mark Kotajarvi — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 00:43:27 -0400

Every US Politician should be made to serve in one of our Armed Forces. Only then would they think about what the outcome is of their decision. Our brothers and sisters served in Afghanistan and other places in that part of the world only to have their teeth kicked in by this decision. If we had done this during WWII how would have that worked out? Just my opinion.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 18 at 2021 1:36 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 01:36:05 -0400

Just let it go and let whatever happens happen. If the guys that aren’t the Taliban get the upper hand then go and drop some moabs on the Taliban.

Response by SPC Harold Decoteau made Aug 29 at 2021 1:56 PM

SPC Harold Decoteau — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 13:56:09 -0400

Get out before we lose any more of our people They Isis and the other war lord's have decidedto bloody our nose before we leave.Stick to the time table..

Response by SGT Dennis Bolin made Sep 3 at 2021 5:37 PM

SGT Dennis Bolin — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 17:37:16 -0400

Look their military seen the whites of their Taliban's, eyes and folded. the president was the first 1 out. It's now their war CIVIL!!!

Response by CWO3 Robert Fong made Sep 7 at 2021 12:50 PM

CWO3 Robert Fong — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 12:50:48 -0400

Col, we are on the verge of pissing off the Prez and SECDEF not to mention the CofJCS offering our opinions. As an old Red Leg I'll say, "One round HE on the way!". The Afghanistan thang was a complete cluster F--k. Since when does the enemy dictate to us. The damage to this nation is FUBAR. Let's not fool ourselves. Red China is the wolf at the door and it's not because they adore the Taliban, it's because of the rare earth metals. If the CHICOMS take Afghanistan, then they control most of the world's rare earth metals which puts our electronics industry and military in a world of hurt. That said the BFO is our need to go in and resecure that resource and let the "Win the hearts and minds crap go. We're not there to nation build. We have to take General Patton's advice and General Curtis LeMay's on carpet bombing. We need to turn every spot where there is Taliban, ISIS-K, etc. and bomb those areas so they look like a cement quary. The rulel is, everyone in fornt of your sight is the enemy. The civilian and Military leadership need to understand there is no such thing as a nice war, and folks die. We go in to win or we don't go at all. We had better have a well thought out and rehearsed plan with Plan B and maybe C and for heaven's sake, don't leave our people behind.
You know, General Sherman's March to the Sea was vicious, but it worked. Study Vicksburg. Sherman and Sheridan were an unbeatable combination because everything they did was designed to win, regardless of cost on either side.
Deny the Taliban access to Pakistan; no R&R for them. Contain and centralize them for the kill. Think about these things because we will be going back in there, but this time to win.

Response by SP6 Greg Jetter made Sep 26 at 2021 8:24 PM

SP6 Greg Jetter — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 20:24:54 -0400

It's a little too late now ........ Is this a troll to find people who disagree with what just happened ?
To quote "Hillary Clinton" , What difference does it make now ?
Try asking Gen Millie , see what his counter part in CHINA thinks .........