Afghan Army Turnover Rate Threatens U.S. War Plans

[bigtree]

by, Gareth Porter*


WASHINGTON, Nov 24 (IPS) - One in every four combat soldiers quit the Afghan National Army (ANA) during the year ending in September, published data by the U.S. Defence Department and the Inspector General for Reconstruction in Afghanistan reveals.

That high rate of turnover in the ANA, driven by extremely high rates of desertion, spells trouble for the strategy that President Barack Obama has reportedly decided on, which is said to include the dispatch of thousands of additional U.S. military trainers in order to rapidly increase the size of the ANA.

The ANA has been touted by U.S. officials for years as a success story. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal called in his August 2009 strategy paper for increasing the ANA to 134,000 troops by October 2010 and eventually to 240,000.

But an administration source, who insisted on speaking without attribution because of the sensitivity of the subject, confirmed to IPS that 25 percent has been used as the turnover rate for the ANA in internal discussions, and that it is regarded by some officials as a serious problem . . .


read more: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49397


*Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist specialising in U.S. national security policy. The paperback edition of his latest book, "Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam", was published in 2006.

[gratuitous]

1. Do I read that right?

The Defense Department is admitting the report that 25% of soldiers quit the Afghan National Army, but that figure isn't necessarily based on anything. That 25% rate "has been used as the turnover rate . . . in internal discussions." In reality, it could be considerably lower (unlikely) or it could be higher. How much higher or lower? Can anyone say?

But we have to ship another 34,000 men and women over there, pronto! Or at least by next June. And if not by then, surely by September or the end of 2010. Or we lose to the terrorists.

[pscot]

2. If they refuse to fight for their "country"

why should we do it for them?

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Switching sides in Afghanistan is actually a culturally accepted thing

and not at all considered shameful, to Afghanis.
I was reading about that this week.
American of course do not understand that.
So any people we train are likely to be fighting for another faction down the road.

what they need to do is get rid of Karzai.
However, too much drugs and oil for the PTB to walk away.
Breszinski wrote in 1997 the importance of Afghanistan and Pakistan to the geo-political/oil agenda.
1997 !!!! Now that he is advising Obama, there ain't gonna be a willing departure.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. No problem. We can just send even more of our troops.

:sarcasm: