Posted on Jul 8, 2021

disaster-in-afghanistan-was-foreseeable-11625678495

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/disaster-in-afghanistan-was-foreseeable [login to see] 5?mod=opinion_major_pos16&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB%2007.08.21&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief
Don't enter a war without the will to win, completely and utterly. The lesson was learned (at least by the DoD) in Korea, and reinforced by Vietnam. I do not understand why Presidents so often ignore the valuable advice given to them by military leaders. The Powell doctrine is clear and enduring.
https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/insights/4100/the-powell-doctrines-enduring-relevance

disaster-in-afghanistan-was-foreseeable-11625678495

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Afghanistan Strategy globe 1cfii4y

Strategy CJCS Imgres

Office of the President (POTUS)

Posted >1 y ago

Responses: 9

SGT (Join to see)

Posted >1 y ago

No planning is a sure means to disaster. Twenty years was way too long to have been there. Even the Soviets got out after ten years. Their involvement lead to the fall of the Soviet Union in my opinion.

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Col Joseph Lenertz

>1 y

It certainly accelerated the Soviet Union's fall. Any Historian of Afghanistan would tell you it's not a place to win a war. Read "War at the Top of the World" to learn how the Indians, Pakistanis, British, and Russians all failed and lost in Afghanistan before we went in.

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SGT (Join to see)

>1 y

Col Joseph Lenertz Hard lessons can only be learned through experience. Such lessons are costly.

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SGT Richard H.

>1 y

The Afghans (civilian and military) lost about 4 times as many people, and the soviets lost almost 7 times as many troops in that 10 years compared to 20 years with the US. We not only fight a cleaner war than they do, we also put a whole lot of that time into rebuilding Afghan infrastructure, military, police, and on and on. I'm pretty sure the Soviets did none of that.

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SGT (Join to see)

>1 y

Col Joseph Lenertz - Or the difficulties of Alexander the Great.

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SSgt Richard Kensinger

Posted >1 y ago

I agree that we require more deliberation about entering conflicts in other regions of the world. Congress is vested with the power to declare war and has not done this since WW Two. Vietnam is the most detested, despised and protested conflict ever. Later we discover that 5 consecutive administrations knew we cannot win these conflicts. Near the end of his term Johnson felt so desperate that he considered neuking N. Vietnam. Glad he did not.

Rich

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