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Description

The Barack Obama administration is debating alternatives to the population-centric counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan that it unveiled in March 2009. The reevalua- tion is prompted by the recent submission of supporting civil and military campaign plans that indicate substantial additional resources are required for success. The resource issue is important, but as General Stanley McChrys- tal, USA, the new commander of U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in Afghanistan, argues, the need to pursue an “indirect” strategy that is sustain- able for the Afghans and implemented with unified purpose is more important.1 Lack of progress in Afghanistan to date is due more to international donors and forces working at cross purposes, and unilaterally instead of with Afghans, than to insufficient resources.

Document Type

Policy Brief

Region(s)

South Asia, Afghanistan

Topic(s)

Defense Policy, Military Strategy, National Security

Publication Date

10-2009

Publication

Strategic Forum

Publisher

National Defense University Press

City

Washington, DC

Keywords

Unity of effort in Afghanistan, Population-centeric counterinsurgency, U.S. interagency coordination, Military-civilian strategy Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency strategy effectiveness

Unity of Effort: Key to Success in Afghanistan

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