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Gerald F. Hyman, National Interest: Trump's New Afghanistan Strategy Isn't Really a Strategy
Principles guiding a strategy are no substitute for an actual strategy whether developed by Washington or by field commanders.
To much anticipation, on August 21 President Donald Trump announced “our new strategy” for Afghanistan. Unfortunately, it revealed neither a succinct strategy nor even anything new. It was instead a list of a dozen pronouncements defining various U.S. policies tied to Afghanistan. Leaving aside their wisdom, they describe almost perfectly the policy of President George W. Bush and the initial policy of President Barack Obama.
More importantly, the announcements form not even the semblance of a strategy. A strategy is a plan for the deployment of (limited) resources in support of a set of objectives and in the face of obstacles (like adversaries), as President Trump said himself, it is “a plan for victory.” President Trump elucidated none of the elements.
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WNU Editor: The White House and the Pentagon have not publicly articulated what they will be exactly doing in Afghanistan, but if I was to guess on what is the Afghan strategy, it will be something like what was done in Iraq during the Obama administration and refined by the Trump administration under the guidance of US Defense Secretary of Defense Mattis. First things first .... stabilize the situation, and this has been somewhat successful. Taliban and ISIS gains have been limited in the past few months, and this was been done by changing the rules of engagement, and conducting far more airstrikes. Second .... build up the Afghan security forces, and like in Iraq .... put together a division of elite soldiers that will storm enemy strongholds. This rebuilding took approximately 2 years in Iraq to accomplish, and I expect the same in Afghaistan. Three .... when these Afghan forces are ready, launch military offensives with U.S. special forces embedded to order in air and artillery strikes. Four .... make sure the Afghan Army does the fighting .... this is their country, and they are the ones who will have to fight for it.
If this is the strategy .... will it work? I honestly do not know. Afghanistan is not Iraq, and the conditions on the ground are different in both countries. But I do know that the Afghan conflict is a war of attrition, and it will not surprise me if it will take decades for some semblance of peace to return to this country. The hope is that the Afghan government will be able to sustain this conflict by itself .... and the sooner they can achieve that, the better that it will be for all of us.
More News On The U.S. - Afghan Strategy
The Convoluted Arguments Underlying U.S. Afghanistan Strategy -- Lawrence Sellin (Retired Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve), Daily Caller
Afghanistan's Chief Executive Is Hopefull For U.S. War Strategy -- NPR
Abdullah Upbeat About New US War Strategy -- TOLO News
Afghanistan: New US Strategy Proves Popular -- IWPR
Trump's Afghan policy causing a rethink on both sides in conflict -- Scott Peterson, CSM
News Analysis: Taliban downplays U.S. new strategy on Afghanistan, pushes for war: Afghan observers -- Xinhua
The Marines Returned To Helmand Province. Is Their Mission A Blueprint For Trump’s Afghanistan Strategy? -- Shashank Bengali, Task & Purpose/Los Angeles Times
