Thanks to Dave Maxwell for the pointer.
The New York Times' Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt report:
The United States’ plan to wind down its combat role in Afghanistan a year earlier than expected relies on shifting responsibility to Special Operations forces that hunt insurgent leaders and train local troops, according to senior Pentagon officials and military officers. These forces could remain in the country well after the NATO mission ends in late 2014. ...
Senior Pentagon officials involved in the planning acknowledge that a military effort with a smaller force and a more focused mission could be easier to explain to Americans who have tired of the large counterinsurgency campaigns of Iraq and, previously, Afghanistan. ...
The plan first calls for creating a two-star command position overseeing the entire Special Operations effort in Afghanistan. Next, the three-star corps headquarters that currently commands the day-to-day operations of the war — and is held by an Army officer from the conventional force — would be handed over to a Special Operations officer.
Comments
Dave,
As an advisor to the Afghan National Police, and this being my second tour in Afghanistan. It is wise for Special Operation Forces (SOF) to take control of Afghanistan. The conventional forces are not trained in counter guerilla warfare. I'm sure you know, counterinsurgency and counter guerilla warfare are the same thing. Therefore, it only makes sense to have the people that are trained in unconventional techniques
take the lead in this unconventional war.
I believe the conventional forces are better at conventional wars because that's what they are trained for. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan should have been handled by SOF. They have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to function in an unconventional warfare theater.
This war is so much about killing, as it is building relationships and allowing the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) conduct the counter insurgency. The US function is to train, mentor, advise and equip the ANSF
Foreign Intenal Defense (FID). Also, give the ANSF the tools to fight the insurgency on the security side.
People think this is a conventional war, it is not. SOF are best for this mission.
I received some comments (I named him XXX below) and had some email exchanges about this asking how SOF was going to conduct basic training of Afghans and take over the mission the way the NATO training mission is conducted. Here is my response:
I have no idea what the real plans are for this or whether this report is accurate. If it is accurate it is clear that SOF cannot "take over" the mission as it is currently run. It is not resourced to do that so if this is accurate there are going to have to be significant revisions to the mission.
XXX's criticism assumes that SOF would be used to train Afghans in the way that US and coalition forces has been attempting to do that for the past decade or so. But as a brother SF officer points out, there are ways to train indigenous forces other than to create an Army in a western image. Un-augmented or un-reinforced SOF is likely not capable of training a force on an industrial scale ( e.g., A national Army of the scale of hundreds of thousands as envisioned in some reports by ISAF).
If you want an Army in the western image then you have to send Regular Forces to do exactly what XXX says - training from initial entry basic training through advanced training through operational employment. But perhaps that is not what is required in Afghanistan (heresy I know). Maybe an indigenous security force with capabilities that align with local customs, traditions, and existing capabilities (with of course limited but the right kinds of technological enhancements) is what is required.
It will be interesting to see how this turns out. On the one hand, I am skeptical that anyone is really going to turn this mission over to SOF but on the other hand I can see how it might be appealing to some so as to get this burden off others' backs and wash their hands of a debacle. From the old cereal commercial "Give it to Mikey, he will eat anything." - Give it to those SOF guys, they are supposed to train people.
But of course I think we all know that that the problems in Afghanistan will not be solved by the military alone - whether Regular Forces or Special Operations Forces. The problems and challenges go so much beyond the military so to pin one's hopes on a single force or technique or plan is likely to lead to disappointment (and along with that it will lead to blame - which is probably why it is appealing to some to say that this mission should be turned over to SOF - they can be blamed as the last men standing when we finally do pull out).