Extreme Partnership in Afghanistan: Arghandab District, Kandahar Province, 2010-2011

摘要

In September of 2009, former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) General Stanley McChrystal formally requested additional forces in Afghanistan to fight a war that had begun eight years before. He warned that without additional forces the conflict would likely result in failure. The situation appeared dire. In his initial assessment to the Pentagon, General McChrystal went on to say, Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term while Afghan security capacity matures risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible. The critical component in gaining the initiative was partnering with the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) in a much more inclusive and integrated manner than in the past. In the Arghandab District of Kandahar Province in 2010, our battalion pushed the limits of partnership in a meaningful way to create irreversible momentum against the insurgency.