The present-day U.S. military qualifies by any measure as highly professional, much more so than its Cold War predecessor. Yet the purpose of today’s professionals is not to preserve peace but to fight unending wars in distant places. Intoxicated by a post-Cold War belief in its own omnipotence, the United States allowed itself to be drawn into a long series of armed conflicts, almost all of them yielding unintended consequences and imposing greater than anticipated costs. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have destroyed many targets and killed many people. Only rarely, however, have they succeeded in accomplishing their assigned political purposes. . . . [F]rom our present vantage point, it becomes apparent that the “Revolution of ‘89” did not initiate a new era of history. At most, the events of that year fostered various unhelpful illusions that impeded our capacity to recognize and respond to the forces of change that actually matter.

Andrew Bacevich


Friday, September 30, 2016

Update for Friday, September 30, 2016

UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan says a U.S. drone strike in Nangarhar Wednesday morning killed 15 civilians. They are said to be men who had gathered to welcome a returning pilgrim.

As readers know, the Afghan government is reluctant to acknowledge casualties among its forces, and I am not able to collect accurate totals. However, the Washington Post is reporting that it has seen U.S. military documents tabulating Afghan casualties for the week of August 22-29. Afghan forces averaged 18 KIA per day. (This is far more than the Afghan government has ever acknowledged, as far as I can recall.) And this is likely an understatement:

The documents reviewed by The Post contained figures tracked by U.S. troops responsible for advising the Afghan air force medical evacuation crews. Thus, the actual number of dead and wounded could be higher as the documents only pertain to those casualties lifted out by air. According to the documents, the Afghans performed 118 total air evacuation missions — the majority of which were with their aging fleet of Russian Mi-17 helicopters and C-208 Cessnas — between Aug. 22 and 29, recovering 288 patients and 125 human remains.  A U.S. officer familiar with the documents confirmed that the 125 human-remains figure refers to those Afghan security force members killed in combat during that time.
Well folks, it looks like the assault on Mosul will begin soon. I will try to provide comprehensive daily coverage. 

Posted by Cervantes at 10:41 AM

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