Two million troops could be sent to Afghanistan and not make a difference

[4dsc]

Two million troops could be sent to Afghanistan and not make a difference unless the government there reforms, a globally recognized authority on counter-insurgency told a standing-room-only Pentagon audience last week.

Author of "The Accidental Guerilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One," David Kilcullen spoke to a forum of Army leaders in the Pentagon auditorium Oct. 19. Kilcullen, who serves with the State Department, was senior counter-insurgency advisor to Gen. David H. Petraeus when he commanded Multi-National Force-Iraq in 2007-2008.

Since the Afghan election, Kilcullen said the government there has been "hemorrhaging legitimacy on a day-by-day basis." Until that problem is solved, he said the question of how many troops to send is meaningless in the long term.

http://www.military.com/news/article/army-news/government-reform-key-to-afghanistan.html?ESRC=army.nl

[ddeclue]

1. No I actually think 2 million troops could - but we don't have them.

[Truth2Tell]

2. well yes, I suppose they could make a difference.

It would be a much bigger and more destructive war. Same outcome, but certainly different.

[ddeclue]

3. No I think that would actually be enough people to control another country at the point of a gun.

but we simply don't have the money or troops to do that.