Posted on Nov 18, 2020
What possible impacts could there be to a rapid draw down of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq?
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Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announced Tuesday that the US will withdraw thousands more US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq by January 15, 2021 -- just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, confirming plans first reported by CNN on Monday.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/politics/afghanistan-iraq-withdrawal-pentagon/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/politics/afghanistan-iraq-withdrawal-pentagon/index.html
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National Security
National Security
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 9
IMO it won't matter when we leave, the Afghan Gov't will not stay in power as is.
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CPT (Join to see)
MSG Stan Hutchison - there's just no getting around that. I think we are better off cutting bait than continue to dump good resources after bad.
MSG Stan Hutchison
CPT (Join to see) - Once again we got involved without a clear, defined mission and a means to measure success or failure. I have no problem with "nation building" nor with "terrorist prevention" but either or both need to be more clearly defined. A "road map" to the mission goals.
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After two decades we still don't know...
MAJ Byron Oyler
We know why we went there, we know what our goal was, and the locals never embraced self-determination and self-leadership. They are content with man love Thursdays, their opium, and there lifestyle. Spending billions there every year will not change this.
How long is long enough. They have been saying for 15 years when we leave, the government falls. If we still have not changed that, how long, how many more body bags. This is what happens when you get into wars you don't let the troops win. When our "allies" in the region give shelter openly to those we are supposed to be fighting, whats the point of doing it. Pakistan has wanted the Taliban back in power since this started, they gave OSB shelter for years. Seems to be if we are going to help someone in the region, it should be India, but what the hell do I know in the end. I am just some older than dirt grumpy dude who is just tired of seeing our kids die for no point.
MAJ Byron Oyler
Pakistan is not our friend or ally and I agree about India. I think we should make some of our decisions based off who immigrates to our country and makes something of themselves verses those that immigrate and want to make the US what they left. Indians rise up as do Filipinos and Somalis and Pakistanis want to the US the shit holes they left.
For God’s sake, leave now or when? The doctrinal answer would be “when conditions are set” (Phase IV / V of Joint Operations). But if history is worth a penny, Afghanistan is a lost cause. As a whole is not sustainable on its own so either we stay there for ever or cut the cord at some point. Better sooner than later because I rather have our troops home than there in defense of the indefensible.
MAJ Javier Rivera
CMSgt Al Nall
We shouldn’t. Let then do whatever they want. Since the times of Alexander the Great, the region has been an unconquered region. Poor Alex had his 4th point of contact handed to him.
Worst case scenario: let the official government at the national, provincial, and tribal levels know: if you misbehave then we’ll MOAB the the hell out of your Taliban loving country!
We shouldn’t. Let then do whatever they want. Since the times of Alexander the Great, the region has been an unconquered region. Poor Alex had his 4th point of contact handed to him.
Worst case scenario: let the official government at the national, provincial, and tribal levels know: if you misbehave then we’ll MOAB the the hell out of your Taliban loving country!
MAJ Javier Rivera
Those 2 fools just wanted to play world domination and had it coming. Our case was different. For us, after 9/11 and kicking the Taliban's behind, we should have let some sort of semi establish government with a bunch of blue helmets.
CWO3 (Join to see)
MAJ Javier Rivera - Totally agree, but it's like marriage for lack of anything more relevant; even a new pet. You can impose your will in the early stages. Wait too long and it's a lost cause. A mushroom cloud over Tora Bora might have done that early in the courtship. Small footprint of SAD SOG, SF, with support and follow on forces as required to get the hombres. They thought about Rangers but said no. Establishing a government might have folded in better, Maybe not, due to religious beliefs and economic pressure. Now, annulment looks like the play. Only folks on the ground can truly say. We dropped some major time and $ over there. Lots of good lives.
Terrorist groups get a chance to catch their breath and come back stronger than ever.
BLUF: it's an opportunity for them to take back all the ground they've lost over 20+ years.
BLUF: it's an opportunity for them to take back all the ground they've lost over 20+ years.
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Which means we'll probably spend more blood and treasure...
SFC Michael Hasbun
CMSgt Al Nall - Would the defense lobbyists have it any other way? There's a direct correlation between Servicemember deaths and Defense industry profits.
This move ensures another few decades of contracts and profits.
This move ensures another few decades of contracts and profits.
Now he does it? Probably would have changed some election numbers if it was executed two years sooner under a little more planned environment.
The place is going to implode without us, and I don't think we should care.
The place is going to implode without us, and I don't think we should care.
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I think you may be right sir.
CPT (Join to see)
CMSgt Al Nall - In retrospect he didn't withdraw not because he didn't want to save soldiers, but the risk of failure outweighed the Polls Numbers. Now, I think he's doing it as a scorched earth policy. If it blows up as every one expects, he doesn't care. If it magically works he can take the credit.
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CPT (Join to see) - That's an even scarier scenario, because it plays games with the lives of the troops that remain in harm's way.
CPT (Join to see)
CMSgt Al Nall - I think Kennedy and Eisenhower were among the last Presidents to care.
AN implosion of the country (which I could give a $&!+ about) and loss of troops in the region and unstability...in a nutshell.
This is news? When I deployed in my last deployment ('13-'14) we were there for the drawdown. When I was deployed in 2012, they started talking about the drawdown. Why is this still news?
As a Vietnam Combat survivor and career airborne Light Infantryman, your question is like a double edge sword. The reason I say this is because the Middle East is known as the most Hot spot on the planet. If you think about the possibilities of war which might involved the US, the possibilities are high. In fact, the half of the world's extreme danger zones are located in the Middle East! I would say that we should take the safe approach and have a sizable element of allied forces in the area and not just our troops. Mobilizing takes a lot of Tax payer funds when moving equipment and men to troubled areas. Besides, our enemies would fear our military presence there, in other word, better safe than sorry!
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