Combined Arms Center Blog

I once met a gentleman who had recently lost his son in a car accident. At the time his son was playing football for a large university. Everywhere the man turned he saw his son’s number: on license plates, billboards, embedded in account numbers, in phone numbers , and in myriad other places....

When you are a stranger in a strange land, you need to be aware of, and hold on to, and be proud of your culture. In my experience you can become susceptible to myth and unfounded fears of a super warrior that you have not yet engaged. I was chatting with a young Afghan who, full of Pashtun bravado said...

After paying some backsheesh (a bribe) to a local official in order to facilitate a business transaction, a friend of mine murmured that the Karzai government needed to be shown a picture of the last government in order to be reminded of how it can end. A 2008 survey by Integrity Watch Afghanistan found...

There is a huge misperception that within Afghan culture they do not believe in a formal policing system. Nothing could be further from the truth. Keeping in mind that every area in Afghanistan is different, the tribe or Qawm is the foundation of order in the historical context. The Qawm is divided into...

When I was a young Capt in the 90’s and the Canadian Army was going through enormous cutbacks as a result of the "peace dividend" at the end of the Cold War and promotions were down to almost zero, I used to muse about the wisdom of the Navy toast calling for "A bloody war or sickly...

This morning I pored over my e-mail, wondering in vain how to simultaneously action all 20 urgent tasks in my inbox. I was reminded of how diametrically opposed our culture is to rural Afghan culture, which encompasses over 79% of that country. In the military, we are conditioned to never accept the...

Would welcome your feedback on the need to address a gap in our doctrine to support implementation of tasks described in FM 3-07, Stability Operations. Our sensing is there is not adequate doctrinal guidance -- specifically tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) required to execute the five Army Stability...

I was lucky enough to be selected for service to the Government of Afghanistan. I worked with Afghans in the civil service acting as sometimes advisor, sometimes mentor and usually as a worker-bee. I dressed in civilian clothes and occupied a desk just like any Afghan you might find in any Ministry....

As an international military student in Fort Leavenworth, I am constantly exposed to public, US Government and international opinion on how to succeed/just stay afloat and not sink in the quagmire of that perilous place called "Afghanistan". Ranging from complex solutions like rebuilding the...

MAJ Jim Gant has initiated healthy discussion and analysis concerning the way ahead in Afghanistan by publishing his bold paper "One Tribe At A Time." The level of interest and dialogue it has stimulated within the COIN community is extremely positive, whether you agree or disagree with his...