Afghanistan Flashcards
What did NATO do following the 9/11 Attacks
12 Sept 2001, NATO invokes Article 5 for the first time
Which is a clause where if one member of NATO attacks all other members will come to their aid in defense
What were the issues with Article 5
- Not an easy decision
o George Robertson understood how big of an impact this can make
o It was not an easy decision because of Kosovo
The 77 day air campaign revealed
• Revealed military-technical gap between the United States and is Allies
o Air communications were not synchronized correctly
o Europeans could not build an air package and smart weapons
o Because of that gap, the basis of operation was off of their technology levels, thus the American had to dumb down their plan to accommodate allies
• Revealed military conceptual gap
The NATO allies could not fight alongside the United States Military
o One of the calculations that NATO had to make was whether America would accept the help
Dangerous for NATO as it could be politically humiliating
If they don’t help, American people could get angry for not getting assistance
Who did America receive help from for the invasion of Afghanistan
o Americans asked 4 countries for help (Anglo alliance) only wanted special operation forces British Canadian Australian New Zealand
What was the name of the first operation in Afghanistan by the Americans
o US initiates Operation Enduring Freedom
- -a bombing campaign
- This results in the Taliban being pushed back and retreating from Kabul to Kandahar
What was the end of Afghanistan like for the bush administration
- lots of infighting within administration
o Rumsfeld and Rice had contentious opinions - Stuck in mindest that Americans would be welcomed to health
- Not prepared for aftermath of war
What were two of the major issues with the Afghanistan war
Core mistake in Afghanistan is the turn and focus on Iraq
Issue with war in Afghanistan
- Hostile groups could receive sanctuary in Pakistan
What was the Obama administration like during Afghanistan
- Robert Gates stays on as Secretary of Defense
- Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton then replaced by John Kerry
- National Security Advisor: Gen Jim Jones then replaced by Tom Donilon
First things obama did during Afghanistan
- General Paetreaus Commander of CentCom
- ISAF Afgan Commander (Mckiernan) 2008-2009
- Bruce Riedel, former CIA Afghanistan hand
- They come up with Riedel Study
o They understand Pakistan is a problem
o They understand there are losing ground to the Taliban
What was the Riedel study
o Two main viewpoints to dealing with Afganistan
Counterterrorim
• To deal with terrorists, send in small amount of additional troops,
• Key articulator of this is Joe Biden
o Go after terrorists don’t go for regime change
• After Al-quida
Counterinsurgency
• Large addition of troops
• Riedel study recommendation
o Supported by Afghan good enough military
o State officials argue for state building
(jeffersonian democracy)
state approach more fulsome than military approach
What were two major products of the Riedel study
o Obama admin agrees to sending another 30,000 troops in
o Marines want to prove as needed and useful thus they want to go in and get a fight in Afghanistan
What occurred with General McKiernan
- Arrives and is told they need more troops than the 30,000 than they just received
- Comes back with an assessment
o This assessment leaks
Leaks start coming out as an attempt to box the Obama administration in
What was Obamas Opinions on the War in 2011
By 2011, Obama wants out - Aftermath of killing Osama Bin Laden - Should be over - Public opinion is falling - Green on green killing By 2014 Obama says they will be out - Initiates process to start training Afghanistan military to fight against the Taliban
What were key lessons from the Afghanistan War
- Whenever a key member of the Taliban leadership is taken out, the next leader is more radical and vicious and more likely to hurt civilians
- Different generations of leaders, older leaders tended to be more moderate
