Posted on Oct 4, 2017
The Pentagon has a new acronym for Afghanistan. Can it win the war?
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This is a good read. Will it work?
The Pentagon has a new acronym for Afghanistan. Can it win the war?
Posted from defensenews.comPosted in these groups: 
Afghanistan
Deployment
James Mattis
Strategy
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - Afghanistan
Afghanistan Deployment James Mattis Strategy Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - Afghanistan
Posted 7 y ago
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Mattis is brilliant, and this is the best plan I've seen to date. However (you had to see this coming), corruption: "Dunford emphasized that last point when he said corruption in Afghanistan is the “single greatest roadblock” to long-term security in the region..." Where does corruption come from? Where does integrity come from? Can we possibly change THOSE sources in Afghanistan?
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SSG Carlos Madden
Good point. In Iraq it's the same too. The problem there, as I assume it is in AFG as well, is that their definition of "corruption" and our own are totally different. To them, it was perfectly expectable for an elected official to hire his brother's company to build a road to his house. To us it's "conflict of interest."
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Col Joseph Lenertz
SSG Carlos Madden - Exactly. It comes from fundamental assumptions and foundational ethics. Are we going to take over the madrassas and teach for two generations?
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The Pentagon can come up with all of the sexy sounding acronyms that they like. Until you establish some type of dedication to duty within the ranks of the Afghan army and government, nothing will change. As soon as we leave, the Taliban, or some other group, will take over the government. We're deluding ourselves if we think or believe otherwise.
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LTC Jason Mackay
I agree. Until Afghans realize they need to stand on their own and fight for their country, there is only so much we can do.
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I believe COIN had the last acronym that was supposed to win the war which focused on "Clear, Hold, Rebuild." “R4+S,” (regionalize, realign, reinforce, reconcile and sustain) sounds similar. In the end it won't matter. I think COIN's failure wasn't in the theory but rather the implementation.
https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/nea/rls/63423.htm
https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/nea/rls/63423.htm
Strategy for Victory in Iraq: Clear, Hold, and Build
White House fact sheet on Strategy for Victory in Iraq: Clear, Hold, and Build
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