Fecteau: The War Forward in Afghanistan – What Is It?
Saturday, October 14, 2017
While it doesn’t receive as much press coverage as of late, the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan sluggishly drudges on to this day. This is the longest war ever fought by the United States and -- arguably -- the most flawed (the United States at least withdrew from Vietnam). Though the war effort has been discussed ad nauseam, there is still no clarity as to what defines success.
The most significant problem with the War in Afghanistan is a political, not military, failing. Instead, policymakers either increase or decrease troop levels without a clear, achievable goal that would allow America to end the longest war in our history.
Currently, President Donald Trump is increasing troop levels by another 3,500 in addition to the almost 10,000 special operators and conventional soldiers currently deployed in Afghanistan. This just a smaller version of President Obama early strategy. Mr. Trump increased U.S troop levels in Afghanistan to almost 100,000 during his tenure to stabilize the country before withdrawing. Obviously, neither the stabilization nor the withdraw actually happened.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMr. Trump also prides himself on no longer micromanaging the war from Washington D.C. – In practice, this has meant more drone strikes, bigger bombs, and increased enemy and civilian casualties. This escalation of air strikes in a nation that has already been bombed by two different countries for almost fifty years is a textbook case of diminishing marginal returns (the bombs cost much more than the huts U.S. military is bombing.) We may kill slightly more enemy combatants, but we will be no closer to achieving a strategic objective that lets our mission end in success
The war is estimated to cost just over one trillion dollars by the end of 2017. The Pentagon has said the latest troop boost alone could cost one billion dollars. Despite all this money and almost sixteen years of combat, the actual mission in Afghanistan remains unclear with the occasional reference to preventing it from turning into a safe haven for terrorists – a mission we have already lost.
Some critics of withdrawal from Afghanistan have a point: a hasty U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan could lead to a situation similar to that in Iraq. The American withdrawal from Iraq, combined with their weak government, made the country vulnerable to insurgents and a breeding ground for ISIS.
However, that is not a reason for endless war. Unless we plan to stay in Afghanistan for a hundred more years, we need to define what conditions will allow us to leave and then achieve them, instead of tinkering with troop levels and bombing rules. If we cannot definite those conditions, we should withdraw now instead of wasting more lives.
The American people should demand specifics on the current war plan in Afghanistan. The conflict seems unending and in vain. Any gains in Afghanistan are tenuous considering the Afghans do not seem willing or capable to govern themselves. Additional troops will unlikely turn the tide of the bogged down war effort anyway. After all, the decision by President Barack Obama to increase troop levels to 100,000 did not change the course of the war, just delayed the inevitable failure of the inept, corrupt Afghan military.
Congressional should take some ownership of the war as well. As commander-in-chief, President Trump wide latitude to execute the war, but Congress has control of the purse strings. The antiquated resolution passed to justify the war in Afghanistan is nearly 16 years old, and in need of some serious revisions to meet the new conditions on the ground -- to ensure the war in Afghanistan is not open-ended, and there are strings attached to any further escalation of forces.
The enormous sacrifices of the men and women of our armed services are the largest concern. Almost 3,500 American troops have already given their lives for the war effort in Afghanistan, and many who survived are scarred for life with deep psychological and physical wounds. Yet, with no clear path forward how are we supposed to "honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior."
This war has been fought with little or no accountability for far too long. The White House’s lack of details about the path to victory and eventual withdrawal. If the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable, we should withdraw now or many more lives may be lost in the delusion to honor the lives of the troops that were lost before. John Kerry’s admonition during Vietnam about “how do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?” is as true now as it was then.
Mr. Trump and our military commanders should honor the troops by defining conditions that are considered a success because we’ve simply invested too much blood and treasure in this country. Mr. Trump needs to take a humble step back and realize there are worse options than admitting defeat - admitting defeat in ten more years after even more Americans have died for our leaders’ hubris.
Matt Fecteau ([email protected]) is a Master of Public Administration candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and an Iraq War veteran. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewFecteau
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