I have said on many occasions that there are some very good comparisons between Vietnam and Afghanistan….and there are those that think I am mistaken….I understand the whole “stop the Taleban” just as I understood the “Domino Theory” in Vietnam….with that said when you break them down the two wars have more similarities than not….I have talked about the inhospitable terrain…the inhospitable climate….the techniques of war…on and on…..but now let us narrow our analysis to the army of the country……
ARVN–Army of the Republic Of Vietnam (South Vietnam)
Part of the mission in VN was to train the army to fight the North and the US could withdraw and play a supporting role (does that sound familiar?)…..problems arose….ethnicities, non-committal, were the major problems….some units fought well but they were the smaller units like the Rangers, Special Forces, etc….as a whole the army sucked and after many years of trying it sucked even more when the nut cutting came….after all the training and money, the army let the North take the South in less than a month…..all in all the whole war in Vietnam was a massive debacle….so the whole adviser thing was a massive waste of time and resources…..
I know….I know….then what of Afghanistan?
In a report on the Afghan National Army (ANA) which was reported by MSNBC’s Richard Engel who spends his time reporting from Afghanistan….the findings of a new assessment of the ANA….
This is a copy of that report. It was prepared for a briefing for CENTCOM commander, General David Petraeus. It was also copied to his commanding general in Afghanistan. And the military says that it is still a preliminary report, that it’s not final, but that does not change what this says about the Afghan national army, or the ANA.The 25-page study obtained by NBC News says senior Afghan commanders are, quote, “not at war. Many ANA leaders work short days, are often absent and place personal gain above national survival.” The report says Afghan troops simply aren’t leading the fight, but remain dependent on US forces, and show few signs of wanting to take off the training wheels. But what’s striking about the report is that it goes to the heart of President Obama’s argument about the war. When announcing the surge, the president said Afghan forces must be trained and equipped quickly, so American troops can return home. But the report’s section on the Afghan army’s personnel says, “Corruption, nepotism and untrained, unmotivated personnel make success all but impossible.”
And there may not be nearly as many Afghan battalions as the country claims. The report said previous estimates are not believable. “Estimate for soldiers actually in battalions far below reported,” it said. “Example: between 40 and 50 percent in some areas.” And Afghan soldiers still in the ranks have literacy problems, and that “mentally, physically unfit and drug addicts hurt units.”
Perhaps the most controversial finding, however, has to do with timing. President Obama has said he wants the troop surge to start drawing down in July 2011. But the assessment said it will take time to expand and rehabilitate Afghan forces. The report said it “cannot take a year to fix this problem.”
The report is dated from mid-December, and it just goes on and on, mostly complaining about leadership and corruption within the Afghan security forces.
The unpublished report says exactly what I have been saying…..the ANA will NEVER be ready to defend the government from outside agitators….sorry to say…Afghanistan smells like a colossal waste….just as Vietnam was……once again a similarity that does not exist….wink wink….you betcha! (sarcasm)
