Security Force Assistance in Afghanistan: Identifying Lessons for Future Efforts | RAND.

Stripping the politics and the rhetoric out of the question, RAND scholars Terrence Kelly, Nora Bensahel, and Olga Oliker dig into whether and how the Security Force Assistance (SFA) program has been effective in the Afghan counterinsurgency.

The idea behind SFA is getting the Afghans to fight their own internal battles. In some cases, arguably Iraq, that program works, allowing US troops to go home even when there is an active insurgency.

I would not expect RAND to be as caustic in its analysis as other sources, but in a way that can actually be accepted and acted upon inside the E-ring in the Pentagon, what RAND says delivers a punch, and it is read carefully.

Well worth the read for those watching the evolving situation in Southwest Asia.

Related articles

• Premature to leave Afghanistan: Smith (news.theage.com.au)
• Post-Petraeus Afghanistan: Turning Defeat into Transition (time.com)
• Afghan Official: Talks on Track for Longterm Pact (foxnews.com)