Friday 2 October 2009

Afghanistan - The Plan



What plan you may well ask, there has been no plan, no strategy either. The politicians are making it up as they go along.

Yesterday General Stanley McChrystal, NATO's top commander in Afghanistan, gave a well-delivered presentation to the International Institute of Strategic Studies and blew Gordon Brown's excuses for this war out of the water.

The main points of his speech indicated that there was never a comprehensive plan for the Afghan war and there is no simple solution. Of course the politicians had their reasons for this war but the public are never going to hear them, because if they were voiced public support would disintegrate. They know that and we know they're lying to us. We have 9,000 troops involved in this political game - men and women who promised to protect us, the people of Britain, when they joined the armed services. Strategy is being decided on the hoof and our troops are pawns.

"It is complex difficult terrain, both the land and the people, it is a tribal society with a culture vastly different from what most of us are familiar with and it varies around the country, so you cannot assume what is true in one province is true in another."

The General was candid in his assessment and admitted the west is not winning this war and his forces will need to do things dramatically differently to stop the insurgency.

"We must gain the initiative by reversing the perceived momentum of the insurgents. We must seek rapid growth of Afghan national security forces and that is the army and the police, and we most improve their effectiveness and our own through closer partnering, and this means we must plan together, live together, operate together and take advantage of each other's strengths as we move forward," he said.

McChrystal has reportedly requested thousands more troops to help him make Afghanistan a stable, secure country and eventually able to look after itself - his definition for success there.

But one of the preconditions being set by the British government, before it will commit to sending more troops, is a "new Afghan government being in place." There is no sign this happy state of affairs is any closer - in fact the reverse. Corruption is a way of life in the country.

Before Gordon Brown makes any decision about increasing troops he should read this opinion from Military World.

Military chiefs are prepared for “scores, if not hundreds” more British soldiers to die in a new troop surge to win the Afghan war.

They expect the British military death toll to rise sharply under the masterplan drawn up by General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, to defeat the Taliban.

But they believe that if there is a clear and convincing strategy for success, the British public could be persuaded to back the military campaign.

I don't back this military campaign and never will. During McChrystal's speech there was one remark he made which stuck in my mind all day yesterday. He said he was proud of all troops and on a recent visit to Afghanistan he met with British soldiers. "... their eyes were bloodshot from total exhaustion..." This one phrase ridicules Gordon Brown's claims that everything is being done for those out in that punishing environment. It is well known our soldiers are not getting suitable breaks and that their health is suffering. Many, if they survive this war, will have problems for the rest of their lives.

One plan that would receive my approval is a schedule of withdrawal, but Bob Ainsworth is so worried about us being seen as 'losers' he refuses to even examine such a strategy. Saving face is far more important than saving lives for this band of warmongers.

The Tories will be no better. They will increase troop numbers. David Cameron will continue allowing Britain to be dictated to by the US.

Such is the quality of our political representatives.

(You can see the video of McChrystal's Q & A session here.)

13 comments:

CrazyDaisy said...

SR,

The MoD is in a tail spin for want of leadership and a budget deficit running into £X Billions.

The UK Leadership still wants to send troops in to prop up a corrupt Afghan Government.

WTF? My life ain't going to be laid on the line for some incompetent PM I never voted for, nor did any of us.

The sooner a GE is called and UK Foreign Policy gains clarity, morality and depth the better.

What a bunch of fucking goons Labour are.

Away for 3 weeks, apparently the weather is going to be hot where I'm going not that I'll get to see the sun often!

Moran Taing

CD

subrosa said...

I doubt if the tories will make many changes CD but that's the cynic in me talking.

You take care now. Keep your head above water as they say. :)

The Last Of The Few said...

As a result of theis Q&A sadly a young female RAF officer is about to have her career cut very short.

Saves having to purcghase her way out I suppose.

McChrystals rant was for a reason. I feel the USA has requested certain things that the UK government has renaged on. There was a bit of politcal posturing in his speech me thinks.

Anyway like CD I leave Monday for a few weeks to also work. It is very hot were I am going too.

My musings etc will be quite for a while.

Dont stop pushing them!

M

The Last Of The Few said...

And my spelling is exceptionally bad today.
Let that be lesson to all children to attend school and learn properly.

Dramfineday said...

Keep your heads down guys and your powder dry

Dramfineday said...

PS My Master Strategy for Afganistan is to pull the ejector seat handle. Followed by letting the Afgans sort themselves out.

OK, I know, it's far to simple.

subrosa said...

You're right LotF. I wondered if this woman purposely made her 'statement' in order to ensure she wouldn't be going to the front line. As we know, nobody with any savvy and a desire to keep their job would do what she did.

You take great care please. I'll have to pay more attention to the rugby while you're away . :)

subrosa said...

Now there's a thing, would children ever read blogs like ours? I doubt it but it would be interesting to know.

subrosa said...

Far too easy Dram and of course far too sensible.

Another thing, we have to been seen as a big player on the world stage so no way are the politicians going to withdraw - no matter how many lives are lost.

Life is cheap, power is not.

wisnaeme said...

Aye, remember tae duck laddies and come back safe.

Seems there's more than just a few catching the Number 10 bus for the grand foreign tour recently.

I'm just off the phone from my sister in Embra. She's wan o them ex army wifies, by the way.

...and she had the grand tour of the married quarters herself for many years.

Anyways, herself now works in yon Barbeque dae it yerself place.

...and the other day she served a soldier laddie in his desert camies, or would have if she'd been allowed to.

The soldier laddie wanted a can of plastico spray paint,dull matt for the use off. Maybe it was for a dae it yersel improvement on a bit of kit.

...and he wanted a can of fly spray as weel.

But my sister says," sorry son, but yer unner tweny wan, an ah cannae sell ye it."

The laddie wae some ithers has now caught the Number 10 bus frae Dreghorn, by the way.

...and my sister is bluidy angry and little upset at not being able to help oot the soldier laddie.

Which a while back could have been her ain man.

So there ye have it.

Not only are the Number 10 bus driver's 'union' not exactly generous in the provision of kit for the use of.

But they prevent the dae it yersel improvements to what oor soldier laddie has.

Knunts those Number 10 bus drivers are.

...and ah bet they drive round looking fer auld ladies and weans to run over.

Safe in the knowledge that they have no need of public liability insurance for the carnage they cause. Being a Westmidden politico and part time Number 10 bus driver has it's perks, has it not? Like immunity from prosecution for example.

...and driving brave and honourable solder laddies to do their bidding without themselves having the remotest fear of being maimed or worse .

...and those bluidy Number 10 bus drivers must have one he11 o union that looks after their interests too.

What with the spending habits, pay and perks.

...if only a deserving squaddie had a 20th of yon.

But then the squaddies haven't got a union. Weel not one that's worth fighting for and defending leastways.

Anyways,them Number 10 bus drivers are not only Knunts but cowards as well.

Don't see many of them standing at the side of a ramp or at the funerals coming face to face with the consequencies of their driving, do we?

But there ye go, There's a scarcity of Number 10 buses too, apparently. But the drivers have promised us more of them

... after taking care of their own needs first, naturally.



.

Anonymous said...

Good post wisnaeme.

I believe the word of choice now is "chumps"

SR. I have never met one single person in Scotland who is for this war, or who supports it in any way.
So no matter what they tell us about keeping safe the streets of Britian, for which I think read London, no one believes them. Even when Cameron says it.

We don't understand the way Afgans live, we don't understand their country or their ways, but why would that stop us interfering?

An independent Scotland would not be involved in this war, propping up a corrupt dictator. But then, when it comes to corruption the Westminster lot take a bit of beating.

We must vote at the next election for parties who would end this carnage.

subrosa said...

Wisnaeme, thanks for the story, it just shows how our freedoms have been slowly taken away doesn't it.

Unless you've had experience of army life you don't understand the reasons why the military feel rejected by civilians.

You're right, they have nobody to speak up for their interests unless some heid bummer really takes their welfare on board - and that doesn't happen too often.

subrosa said...

All the big parties support it tris. Voting for the smaller parties, under the present system, just allows one of the big party's in.

The whole voting system ought to be rehashed too.

As CD would say, we should have a riot.

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