Exploring Alternatives for Strategic Access to Afghanistan

Abstract

In 2009, U.S. troop commitments will increase in Afghanistan, complicating the ability to deploy and sustain forces operating in the region. The U.S. must tackle the challenges of a larger military footprint in Afghanistan, including diplomatic, economic, and military impacts on nations in the region. This paper will explore the processes involved to deploy and sustain U.S. forces operating in Afghanistan and address options to overcome strategic access challenges. The author proposes five recommendations to the current strategy, including: a need to strengthen regional partnerships; reduce dependence on Afghan-Pakistani Ground Lines of Communication (GLOC); re-establish a Northern Distribution Network; seek alternative, regional air bases; and improve In-Transit Visibility (ITV) technology. To deploy and sustain up to sixty-thousand U.S. forces in Afghanistan, there must be a sound and executable strategic access plan.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA498262

Entities

People

  • Kurt J. Ryan

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan Conflict
  • Air Force
  • Asia
  • Central Asia
  • Cis
  • Deployment
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Land Transportation
  • Logistics
  • Military Science
  • Transportation Infrastructure
  • United States
  • United States Transportation Command
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.
  • Strategic Security Studies