The Man with a Plan

By Lt Col P

Tony-Sahib sent me this article from the WaPo: "Jim Gant, the Green Beret [sic] who could win the war in Afghanistan," and I strongly recommend it to all hands.

Please be sure also to read MAJ Gant's own article, linked at Steven Pressfield's blog.

In an unusual and unauthorized pact, Gant and his men were soon fighting alongside tribesmen in local disputes and against insurgents, at the same time learning ancient tribal codes of honor, loyalty and revenge -- codes that often conflicted with the sharia law that the insurgents sought to impose. But the U.S. military had no plans to leverage the Pashtun tribal networks against the insurgents, so Gant kept his alliances quiet.

No longer. In recent months, Gant, now a major, has won praise at the highest levels for his effort to radically deepen the U.S. military's involvement with Afghan tribes -- and is being sent back to Afghanistan to do just that. His 45-page paper, "One Tribe at a Time," published online last fall and circulating widely within the U.S. military, the Pentagon and Congress, lays out a strategy focused on empowering Afghanistan's ancient tribal system. Gant believes that with the central government still weak and corrupt, the tribes are the only enduring source of local authority and security in the country.

Go forth; read and heed. And thanks to the ever-bold Tony-Sahib for the heads-up. (And bon chasse to MAJ Gant!)

January 19, 2010 10:38 PM Afghanistan ~ The Long War