We Lost The War Because Our Leaders Could Not Lead

America let's be honest....we have lost the war in Afghanistan.

Every day 38,000 troops are leaving their patrol bases and combat outposts, attempting to carry on with the mission of bringing democracy to Afghanistan. However, this mission, regardless of the capabilities of our military and its service members, is one that has wholly failed.

As a U.S. Marine in Afghanistan, I never served with a group of more professional, dedicated, and brave men in my life. They were selfless with their bodies in the midst of firefights and displayed daily acts of courage that would humble us all. But bravery and an enemy body count only get us so far.

For every insurgent killed there will be five that replace him. For every house searched, another Afghan family becomes disillusioned with America, and for every wall or field damaged, another potential enemy fighter is born. The overall objective of constructing a democratic government in a broken country, cannot be accomplished when the future electorate hates the creator of this pipe dream.

 By the U.S military conducting large scale counter-insurgency operations we are only increasing the probability of ruining our reputation with every shot fired or every bomb dropped in someone's neighborhood, village, or town.

The war in Afghanistan cannot be won. Not because we don't have the right equipment, or good enough Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, or Sailors, but because the goal of democratizing an entire nation is unattainable. With the bar of measurable success set so high, the best we can do is reach up and grab that glass of American exceptionalism and drink it while we can, or pay off our tab and go home.

 On every patrol I met the local men living in our area of operations. And yet everyday I never knew whether tomorrow that farmer would be firing at me or shaking my hand. The objective in warfare is to defeat the enemy, but what if that enemy is supposedly the future of the country you are trying to build? Unfortunately this is not a new predicament that the United States has found itself in. Vietnam and Iraq are examples of the U.S government attempting to use military force as a substitute for diplomacy, and both had terrible results. Vietnam is still a communist country, and Iraq barely has a functioning government.

By continuing large scale military operations, the United States will continue to radicalize the moderate, and disillusion the hopeful. This is not the fault of the men on the front lines. They take the steps necessary to keep their fellow brothers alive. Whether that means searching homes, responding to force with force, or walking through a farmer's field so they will not patrol on roads strewn with I.E.Ds, then they must do that.

But....these ongoing operations will not lead to elections, or campaigns, or democracy in this country. Every bullet fired at the enemy, might as well be a bullet into the dream of democratizing Afghanistan. We shoot, kill, or arrest them, and then wave our flag and prosthelytize American values. If I were not of us, I would not believe the dream we are pitching either.

If the premise of victory can be replaced with a much more realistic objective, then true progress can start being measured. "Containment of the threat" needs to replace the current slogan of "democracy for all in Afghanistan."

Afghanistan will not be won by U.S Marine Corps infantry battalions. Instead the credible threats within the country will be contained by the use of highly trained small unit special forces.

 There are several reasons for this. One of the most important being is sustainability. A force of 2,000 special operators costs much less than 20,000 traditional infantrymen, and their ability to quickly strike an identified threat is unmatched. President Obama's light foot print strategy should not be the way military force is applied in other parts of the world, but it is how the military should be used in Afghanistan.

By accepting the reality that a counter-insurgency is a conflict that cannot be won, then we can begin to work on more productive strategies. Current U.S policymakers believe that if we spend more money, send more troops, and kill more of the enemy, then results will come.

True, politicians and generals might see momentary gains by utilizing a troop surge technique and implementing a "clear-and-hold" strategy. But our troops can only clear-and-hold so much, and what happens when the troops depart? All of our government's actions thus far in this campaign do not breed sustainable outcomes.

War is not an option that should be chosen easily or readily. Too often it seems our leaders resort to mass violence, attempting to accomplish missions which are impossible or unnecessary. Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan are all examples of conflicts that we should not have fought in, and that we could not win. Life is too precious a commodity to be wasted fighting an ill-conceived conflict. We did not lose the war in Afghanistan because of our service member's inabilities. We lost the war because our leaders could not lead.