In Afghanistan, Training Can Look a Lot Like Fighting - Carlos Lozada, Washington Post opinion.
As President Obama and his national security team debate strategy for the war in Afghanistan, some of the options on the table involve a greater focus on training and strengthening the Afghan security forces. To an American public - and an administration - that may be reluctant to send more troops to a faltering, eight-year war, the notion of helping the Afghans fight for themselves could seem particularly attractive.
But it's an appeal that should be tempered. In a recent essay published by the security-focused Stimson Center in Washington, Robert Haddick, managing editor of the Small Wars Journal, reviews American experiences helping foreign security forces. Though he believes such initiatives will be a "growth business" in the years ahead, Haddick contends that if US policymakers hope such foreign forces can be a "competent and reliable substitute" for US military personnel, they will "frequently find themselves disappointed." ...
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