The USMC in Helmand (merged thread)

[davidbfpo]

I'll echo Bill's comment and thanks to Tequila. I'd missed the NAF report on Helmand and wonder if anything has changed since September 2010, in Helmand for the locals.

Citing Bill now and if we had concentrated on:

local grievances and concerns

and the principle of reducing harm to the locals, would we have achieved our objectives in Helmand and Afghanistan?

I know we have attempted to look back at Iraq in the past, then looked around at other conflicts, both active and potential. If we adapted the principles of local issues first and reducing harm to the local populace would that satisfy our strategic objectives?

Or returning to the Imperial practice in the ungoverned spaces of punitive action and leaving promptly having delivered a message.

[Ken White]

Or returning to the Imperial practice in the ungoverned spaces of punitive action and leaving promptly having delivered a message.

However, properly conducted that was, is and can be very effective far more times than not...