In Afghanistan, a war in search of a strategy
When Donald Trump was running for president, his iconic ideal of military leadership was Gen. George Patton, especially as he was depicted by actor George C. Scott in the 1970 film, gloriously leading armored columns across Western Europe to victory in World War II.
But the counterinsurgency, counterterrorism conflicts of the 21st century aren’t won that way. Enemies often don’t wear a uniform, insurgencies infect a nation’s bloodstream, and tanks are not a cure-all. A prime example is the war in Afghanistan, now in its 16th year.
The war is a stalemate. The United States can’t win but can’t afford to lose. On an average day, 20 Afghan soldiers or police are dying. Given the blood and treasure Americans and Afghans have sacrificed, along with the risk of seeing freedoms extinguished and a resurrection of terrorist havens, Trump at least should decide what to do next.
But more than six months into his presidency, Trump is facing the same complexities that bedeviled his predecessor. He hasn’t settled on a strategy for America’s longest war. Will the United States stay? Will it leave? Unclear. Options discussed during a series of White House discussions have ranged from firing commanders to hiring mercenaries to pulling out entirely.
According to news reports, Trump complained during one meeting that “we aren’t winning,” and Defense Secretary James Mattis replied that the reason America is losing is because it doesn’t have a strategy. He’s right about that.
Army Gen. John Nicholson, who commands the U.S.-led international military forces in Afghanistan, has urged a modest increase of 3,000 to 5,000 U.S. troops, over and above the current 9,800. The additional American troops would help double the number of elite Afghan troops and work with field commanders to improve the battlefield performance of Afghanistan’s 180,000member security force.
That’s a reasonable approach, as long as it’s part of a broader strategy. Continued drift throws into doubt the survival of the fragile Afghan democracy. The uncertainty also compels neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Iran to hedge bets and throw support or sanctuary to the Taliban.
More than 2,400 U.S. troops have lost their lives in the Afghanistan War, and more are dying still. When a suicide driver rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a NATO convoy in the southern city of Kandahar last week, the blast killed two paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division: Sgt. Jonathon Hunter, 23, of Columbus, Ind., and Spc. Christopher Harris, 25, of Jackson Springs, N.C.
The troops serving in Afghanistan deserve to know what they’re fighting and dying for, and more clarity about the mission.