Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Thelastdecadehasofcoursemeantamajortransformationofthe
U.S.armedforces,especiallythearmyandmarinecorps,towards
counter-insurgencyandtacklingnon-statethreatsandchallengesthat
haveemergedonthebattlefield.Thisincludesthejointarmy-marine
corpscounter-insurgencydoctrine(intellectuallydrivenbyGeneral
DavidPetraeus)andorganisationssuchastheJointImprovised
ExplosiveDeviceDefeatOrganisation,whichwasestablishedin2006
andhasanannualbudgetwellinexcessof$1billion.3Indeed,several
high-profilecareerswithintheU.S.military,includingthatofcurrent
armychiefofstaffGeneralRayOdierno,werebuiltontheback
ofmasteringcounter-insurgency.4Itisalsoimportanttonotethatthis
transformationwasnotwithoutitsdetractors,suchasColonelGian
Gentile,whoargued,amongotherthings,thatcounter-insurgencywas
notastrategyatall,butmerelyaclutchoftacticsandprocedures,
therebyunabletodeliverstrategicgainsfortheUnitedStates.Atthe
timeofwriting,theU.S.militaryisquietlylayingasidecounter-
insurgencyinordertofocusonnewthreatsandchallenges
inachangingglobalorder.
Itisimportanttonotethatneitherthecounter-insurgencyrevolution
insidetheU.S.military,norothertransformationefforts,weredriven
byAfghanistanortheISAFmission.Instead,muchoftheimpetusfor
thistransformationstemmedfromoperationsinIraqandtheinsurgency
there.Thelessonslearned,thenewtechnology(suchasMRAPsand
counter-IEDrobots),andnewcounter-insurgencytactics,techniques,
andprocedures,werecertainlydeployedbytheU.S.inAfghanistan
(andsharedwithNATOallies),buttheywerenotintendedprimarily
forthattheatre.
GiventheUnitedStates’uniquestakesinAfghanistan,anditsrole
asthesolesuperpowerwithglobalreachandinterests,itistherefore
moreinterestingandrelevanttoexplorehowAfghanistanhasshaped
Washington’sviewofNATOasanalliance,ofitsmembers,andofthe
futureofthetransatlanticsecuritycommunity.Seenthroughthislens,
theISAFmissionhasbeenabsolutelycrucialinshapingWashington’s
notionofitsalliesandthefutureofNATO.
WhilemanyinWashingtonclaimtobedisappointedbyNATO
inAfghanistan,bytheallies’abilitytomarshalpoliticalwill,undertake
forcetransformation,andplayalargerroleinglobalsecurity,this
isthewronglessontodrawfromAfghanistan.Onthecontrary,the
