A Rare Political Post

I rarely post anything political, mostly because I have such a narrow grasp on politics that I end up sounding foolish. However, I find myself given to ruminating on the situation in Afghanistan.

I will make it short and (hopefully) sweet: sending additional troops to Afghanistan will do absolutely no good whatsoever until the ROE is amended to allow them to do their job. When we first went into Afghanistan, there were immediate strides made, and many battles won. High-Value Targets were taken down, and morale among the troops was as high as it can be when they are in combat.

Then, the brass came in. Units in the field were not allowed the autonomy they once had. HVT were identified, but were usually allowed to escape, as the approval procedure to mount an operation was ponderous and time-consuming. This has not improved in the five years since I was there.

No, sending additional troops won't help. Not until they are allowed to fight the right fight. They should be fighting the Taliban and Al Quaeda, not their own government and leadership.