What About Afghanistan?

#128
#128
I live about an hour and 15 from Fayetteville and they announced on local news that they are sending elements of the 82nd in the next week.
 
#130
#130
Pacer92 said:
It's insanity that Americans support this....

Perpetual war pays the "bills" in Washington...
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I don't think most Americans support it but our rulers in Washington do. Unfortunately the rulers in Washington only care about what's good for them and what they can get by with. That would explain their public condemnation of groups like al qaeda while privately providing funding and support for them.
 
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#134
#134
What are we accomplishing in Afghanistan Carlos? By putting American lives at risk..

Please explain...
 
#137
#137
carlos86 said:
It also must be why the Russians are sending Chechens to give the Taliban a hand.
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should call his buddy Putin and tell him to stop. He'll do that, won't he?!

Staying in Afghanistan is pointless unless we're prepared to stay there until the place becomes a quasi-normal, well-functioning country. And that should only take another, oh, 100 years or so--probably longer. Afghanistan is medieval.

We don't leave because, if we did, the place would fall into the hands of radicals again, and there again would be terrorist bases across the land. And Republicans would complain....

There have been documentaries about American military bases and activity in the southern provinces in the past--Helmand and Kandahar. We spent a fortune on these bases, which sent out units chock full of modern U.S. military hardware to chase around a few Taliban with rifles. There was/is the occasional brief skirmish and the Taliban hightail it back to their mountain enclaves and then filter back out when the U.S. troops return to their bases. It is an utterly meaningless game of cat and mouse--and a massive waste of money for the U.S., but perhaps necessary to keep the country from being overrun by radicals. Now, training the Afghans to build their own military is not pointless---but there is so much corruption in that part of the world, with its feudal culture, that it will take generations for Afghanistan to reach a point where its military and police can be counted on to keep the peace. What are the odds that Trump has ever read ANYTHING about Afghanistan? He'll listen for 5 minutes if you show him 3rd-grade style briefing book. He'll do what Mattis and others tell him we should do and then spend weeks/months/ talking about our "great success" in Afghanistan!
 
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#138
#138
armchair said:
should call his buddy Putin and tell him to stop. He'll do that, won't he?!

Staying in Afghanistan is pointless unless we're prepared to stay there until the place becomes a quasi-normal, well-functioning country. And that should only take another, oh, 100 years or so--probably longer. Afghanistan is medieval.

We don't leave because, if we did, the place would fall into the hands of radicals again, and there again would be terrorist bases across the land. And Republicans would complain....

There have been documentaries about American military bases and activity in the southern provinces in the past--Helmand and Kandahar. We spent a fortune on these bases, which sent out units chock full of modern U.S. military hardware to chase around a few Taliban with rifles. There was/is the occasional brief skirmish and the Taliban hightail it back to their mountain enclaves and then filter back out when the U.S. troops return to their bases. It is an utterly meaningless game of cat and mouse--and a massive waste of money for the U.S., but perhaps necessary to keep the country from being overrun by radicals. Now, training the Afghans to build their own military is not pointless---but there is so much corruption in that part of the world, with its feudal culture, that it will take generations for Afghanistan to reach a point where its military and police can be counted on to keep the peace. What are the odds that Trump has ever read ANYTHING about Afghanistan? He'll listen for 5 minutes if you show him 3rd-grade style briefing book. He'll do what Mattis and others tell him we should do and then spend weeks/months/ talking about our "great success" in Afghanistan!
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You started out okay, then went full Simple Jack with the partisan remarks.
 
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#139
#139
armchair said:
should call his buddy Putin and tell him to stop. He'll do that, won't he?!

Staying in Afghanistan is pointless unless we're prepared to stay there until the place becomes a quasi-normal, well-functioning country. And that should only take another, oh, 100 years or so--probably longer. Afghanistan is medieval.

We don't leave because, if we did, the place would fall into the hands of radicals again, and there again would be terrorist bases across the land. And Republicans would complain....

There have been documentaries about American military bases and activity in the southern provinces in the past--Helmand and Kandahar. We spent a fortune on these bases, which sent out units chock full of modern U.S. military hardware to chase around a few Taliban with rifles. There was/is the occasional brief skirmish and the Taliban hightail it back to their mountain enclaves and then filter back out when the U.S. troops return to their bases. It is an utterly meaningless game of cat and mouse--and a massive waste of money for the U.S., but perhaps necessary to keep the country from being overrun by radicals. Now, training the Afghans to build their own military is not pointless---but there is so much corruption in that part of the world, with its feudal culture, that it will take generations for Afghanistan to reach a point where its military and police can be counted on to keep the peace. What are the odds that Trump has ever read ANYTHING about Afghanistan? He'll listen for 5 minutes if you show him 3rd-grade style briefing book. He'll do what Mattis and others tell him we should do and then spend weeks/months/ talking about our "great success" in Afghanistan!
Click to expand...

Nice mess Obama left huh?
 
#140
#140
RDU VOL#14 said:
I live about an hour and 15 from Fayetteville and they announced on local news that they are sending elements of the 82nd in the next week.
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The 82nd has been in line to replace the 101st long before the troop increase announcement was made, even before it was under consideration. If you concede that we will be in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future, this is actually good news for a few reasons:

1. Readiness: Right now brigades are having to make tough decisions on who to deploy to stay under the troop level. That leads to aviation and support units deploying without mechanics; infantry platoons leaving a large number of troops back at home station; missions being manned by meshing troops from different chain of command's.

2. It should improve cost: since units aren't deploying at full strength, the gaps are being filled by civilian contractors. They don't come cheap. In fact, I bet the overall number of Americans in Afghanistan hasn't been lowered much since the drawdown. Instead of soldiers - it's civilian contractors.

3. It should improve security for the troops that are there now.
 
#141
#141
we been there 16 years. we defeated the whole world in 4 years in 1945. we just play now. you have to kill enough of them they want no more fighting the u,s, if we fought world war 2 like we do today we would all be speaking German.
 
#142
#142
It's not about "letting the dogs off the leash" and complete annihilation of the enemy. Our government obviously decided they have an interest in the area and intend on staying as long as their... interests remain. There is no real, tangible enemy to fight. There are various groups of bad guys there just like anywhere else in the world. Doesn't matter who is or would have been president, the powers that make even them dance to the puppet strings will have us in the **** as long as it suits their purposes.
 
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#143
#143
MercyPercy said:
It's not about "letting the dogs off the leash" and complete annihilation of the enemy. Our government obviously decided they have an interest in the area and intend on staying as long as their... interests remain. There is no real, tangible enemy to fight. There are various groups of bad guys there just like anywhere else in the world. Doesn't matter who is or would have been president, the powers that make even them dance to the puppet strings will have us in the **** as long as it suits their purposes.
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I agree with all of this
 
#144
#144
#146
#146
carlos86 said:
It will. E pulled out of the NDAA for 2017 and instead they will make it a separate bill that will exempt military action in Afghanistan.
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How will this affect our efforts in other countries? Iraq, Syria. Will approval have to go through congress for forces to remain or buildup?
 
#147
#147
Mick said:
How will this affect our efforts in other countries? Iraq, Syria. Will approval have to go through congress for forces to remain or buildup?
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Syria and Iraq will require new AUMF's. All over covert operations will fall under the War Powers Act.
 
#148
#148
forgiven said:
we been there 16 years. we defeated the whole world in 4 years in 1945. we just play now. you have to kill enough of them they want no more fighting the u,s, if we fought world war 2 like we do today we would all be speaking German.
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No 'we' didn't. Not by ourselves. You need a crash course in history. The Allies had been fighting the Axis for 2 years before we entered. The Battle of Britian had already repulsed Hitler in June 1940. Hitler's Operation Barbarosa to invade Russia was the largest invasion, bar none, in WWII and had been going on for 6 months already. Japan's Pacific Economic Zone expansionism and war against Russia, .... The whole frikin world was engaged before protectionist America finally, FINALLY, entered the war because Axis member Japan attacked Pearl.

Was our help needed? Absolutely! But we didn't do it alone. And it was Russia who dealt Hitler the decisive blows while:

Officials at the Russian Central Defense Ministry Archive (CDMA) maintain that their database lists the names of roughly 14 million dead and missing service personnel.[6][7] Some critics in Russia put total losses in the war, both civilians and military, at over 40 million.[8][9][10]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II
 
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#149
#149
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...r-old-afghanistan-war/?utm_term=.bd8792336800

"Mattis said Thursday during a news conference that he had received 70 percent of the commitments from NATO countries for his upcoming strategy and was confident that he would be able to secure the rest in the coming weeks. Mattis gave no timeline for America’s renewed commitment to Afghanistan and suggested that NATO had drawn down too early in 2014."
 
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