Supply routes to Afghanistan

[Danny]

Davidbfpo,

I appreciate your following this issue. Like me, you have been interested in it for a while.

But the commentary is flawed. Of course we have alternatives. Easy? No. It would require work. Cheap? No. It would require financing. Serenely safe? Probably not. It would require some amount of guarding. But of course, these issues aren't so troublesome now that they can be compared to the same thing through Pakistan.

Bold? Sure. It would be right in the Russian's back yard. And maybe this would be one advantage of it, along with saving Georgia from the next Russian invasion (to get to their bases in Armenia).

http://www.captainsjournal.com/2009/...-the-caucasus/

If only we had started this process 18 months ago like I recommended, and if only they had listened to me 2.5 years ago when I told them exactly what the enemy strategy would be (attacking international and local lines of logistics).

http://www.captainsjournal.com/2008/...d-afghanistan/

I don't mean to preen, but it's all out in front of them. All of the warnings were issued. It's too late for them to complain about it now. It could have been different but they chose the current course.

[davidbfpo]

Danny,

What I do not understand is how politicians, diplomats and many others got to this position before a single lorry moved. I vividly recall commenting an open meeting in Whitehall 'We cannot wage any campaign in Afghanistan without Pakistani logistic support' and the looks of surprise that the issue was raised were amazing.

Straying away from the logistic theme for a moment. In strategic terms how have we ended up with such a large, heavy commitment in Afghanistan, pursuing aims that history and culture strongly indicate will not work?

Add logistic vulnerability and you just gasp. Akin to Nelson at Copenhagen, not watching the signals.

[Fuchs]

"Evolution of Petroleum Support in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility" Army Sustainment Sept/Oct 2010


I didn't check for it, maybe someone else already mentioned this article.

[davidbfpo]

Fuchs,

Some of the information has appeared before, but the article has a lot more detail and IIRC the first time the date when a switch to the north was agreed upon. So thank you.

[davidbfpo]

THe following sentence struck me as odd, even allowing for the "spin" before a NATO summit where Russia is attending:

Moscow will allow Nato forces to withdraw equipment from Afghanistan overland for the first time, in proposals expected to be agreed in Lisbon.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ghanistan.html

[davidbfpo]

A small snippet:

Zaranj is a desert border town of around 100,000 people just across the border from Milak Iran. The Indian Government’s Border Roads Organization just completed a modern hard top road from Zaranj to the ring road and the city of Delaram. That means there is now a modern hard ball road direct from the deep water port of Chabahar, Iran to the ring road of Afghanistan and beyond. That route could prove significant to somebody at some point in the future. For now it is hard to capitalize on having a modern route to a large seaport given that the run from Nimroz to Kabul is 500 kilometer ambush alley for truckers.

Link:http://freerangeinternational.com/blog/?p=3708

Map:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaranj

This road has been open since January 2009, apart from the Indians who else uses it?

[davidbfpo]

A short article on the relationships and a few snippets:

..more than a third of supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan pass through Pakistan...the Northern Distribution Network...has already become more important in the past year as the US began switching supplies from Pakistan's roads.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...n-fallout.html