Jan 2011 MILITARY REVIEW article. Worth the read.

Also available here:

https://usacac.army.m...0228_art014.pdf

Multiplying by Zero -MilitaryReview_20110228.pdf

Thought provoking article, for certain.

While nothing new to some of us, it is well-articulated and his examples drive the point home. The ridiculousness of initiatives such as arming the ANA with M-16s is lost on many US seniors. Seriously? While more accurate than its AK counterpart, the AR is a high-maintenance and complex rifle that exceeds the capabilities of all but the most proficient soldiers in the Afghan military. While mastering the basic proficiency of this weapon is easily done by the average US soldier, it is a monumental task for the ANA and they will simply give up on it when they get frustrated (which will occur very early in the program). I suspect most of the rifles will end up in insurgent hands anyway. Oddly enough, Afghan commandos and special forces still use the AK.

What I like most about Veneri’s excellent article is his point that some of the obstacles we face in Afghanistan may be insurmountable. That is a tough concept for most Americans to grasp, especially those in the military. We are trained to believe that every problem can be fixed, but we all know that simply just isn’t the case. Unfortunately, it appears that Afghanistan may be one such problem!

Thanks for posting this, I am passing it on!

Cheers! M2

That should be on the CSAF reading list, right next to Red Eagles. This is definitely the crown jewel of USAFA's MSS Dept.

Excellent article. Thanks.

Anyone who has deployed to Afghanistan understands this article in it's entirety. Regardless, I will support the bros on the ground fighting for the man next to them until the last one comes home.