A District Approach in Afghanistan?
A District Approach in Afghanistan?
by Major David S. Clukey
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As Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ one-year timeline to make progress in Afghanistan approaches, the U.S. and the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) still struggle to accomplish President Obama’s goals in the region. I suggest that the current top down approach employed by U.S. and ISAF forces requires a corresponding and simultaneous application of a bottom-up approach to maximize operational effects.
Operational experience gained from four deployments and three combat tours to Afghanistan with the U.S. Army Special Forces (SF) (2004-2008) and thesis research conducted on Afghanistan at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) inspired my hypothesis that the district level is the center of gravity for counterinsurgency (COIN) in Afghanistan. My recent attendance and participation in the Small Wars Foundation’s Tribal Engagement Workshop (TEW) served to reinforce this hypothesis.
Download the full article: A District Approach in Afghanistan?
Major David S. Clukey, U.S. Army Special Forces, has been on four deployments and three combat tours to Afghanistan with the U.S. Army Special Forces (SF) (2004-2008). His experience in theater and thesis research conducted on Afghanistan at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) inspired his hypothesis that the district level is the center of gravity for counterinsurgency (COIN) in Afghanistan.
