Les Grau recently put this paper out. Makes an interesting read for today.

BREAKING CONTACT WITHOUT LEAVING CHAOS: THE SOVIET WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN


Conclusions:

The Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan provides an excellent model for disengagement from direct military involvement in support of an allied government in a counter-insurgency campaign. It demonstrates the need for comprehensive planning encompassing diplomatic, economic and military measures, both during and subsequent to direct military involvement. It underscores the necessity for the host government to become able to function on its own and thes upporting government to continue to provide adequate support subsequent to its departure. It shows how the internal divisions within both the host and supporting government may be almost as lethal as the guerrilla opposition. It clearly shows the necessity for a good advisory and logistics effort following the departure.

One major mistake that the Soviets made was to establish a public timetable for the withdrawal without any proviso for modifying or reversing the withdrawal if the political or military situation drastically changed. This hurt the efforts of the Soviet Union and the DRA to conduct a smooth transfer of authority and withdrawal.