Afghanistan- The Shift in Strategy After Eight Years

Abstract

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was launched in October 2001 with the aim of destroying Al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban regime said to be harboring Al-Qaeda. The Taliban regime was successfully removed. However, after eight years, ISAF is not winning the war and the situation is seen as "serious". To make matters worse, the Taliban is said to be gaining strength and support from the Afghan people; the support towards the ISAF is instead declining. What went wrong? (1) Was the Campaign Design and Planning Process (CDPP), especially the strategic thinking process, thoroughly done?, (2) Was the correct strategy adopted? (3) Was the right approach used for the rebuilding phase? Hence, the aim of this study is to examine the CDPP and the strategy adopted that led to the situation in Afghanistan today. This study will first look into the CDPP that led to the strategy adopted by the US led coalition, followed by examining the approach used for the rebuilding phase and to conclude with recommendations viewed as the way forward towards addressing the situation in Afghanistan today.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA520023

Entities

People

  • Mohd Z. Mokhtar

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan
  • Afghanistan Conflict
  • Civil War
  • Education
  • Governments
  • Judiciary
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Security
  • Strategic Communications
  • Students
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Chemistry (specifically Chemical Fluorescence)
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.