What Do You Do With A Friedman Unit? Surge!

By Steve Hynd

There's news today that Bob Gates will use the authority given to him by President Obama last January and increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by another 1,400 Marines in time for the spring campaigning season there.

Commanders in Afghanistan and advocates of the strategy in Washington say temporarily adding front-line forces could help counter an anticipated spring offensive by Taliban militants returning from havens in neighboring Pakistan.

The WSJ goes on to say that another 1,600 combat troops might yet be sent, and that the military is looking to juggle deployments and force mix to increase the number of combat troops.

But hang on one second! It was just last month that Petraeus and others were telling us that gains in Kandahar were systemic, not just due to the end of the fighting season, and would persevere even into next year. Now suddenly they're not so sure. Were the military inflating their claims just to get us over the December "review that wasn't"? Perish the thought, surely!

Anthony Cordesman, a defense analyst at the bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said it was unclear what impact, if any, a temporary increase in combat power would have on the overall military campaign as long as the havens in Pakistan remain open to the Taliban.

"If the enemy simply chooses to hunker down, ride out, adapt the kinds of tactics that other guerrilla movements have used under acute pressure�you don't win the war�all you do is basically create a battle of attrition," he said.

Some officials have voiced concerns about the military's ability to maintain control of areas cleared of Taliban, citing the group's ability to replace leaders killed or captured in U.S. Special Operations raids.

"As much as we are hammering them in the south and east, their numbers aren't dwindling. They have so many young men who are disenfranchised, who have nothing better to do," the senior U.S. official said.

 Sadly, the military were indeed just blowing smoke up our asses and, having won their Friedman Unit with little or no kerfuffle from the Beltway or mainstream media, are now proceeding to escalate their career-enhancing and budget-procuring war for as long as they are able. Amazingly, every time they surge the death tolls rise and we're always on the verge of victory with no end in sight.

Update: From the AP via the WaPo:

A massive effort by U.S. and NATO forces - including offensives in the insurgent heartland and targeted assassinations of rebel leaders - has failed to dent Taliban numerical strength over the past year, according to military and diplomatic officials.

A NATO official said this week that the alliance estimates current number of insurgent fighters at up to 25,000, confirming figures provided earlier by several military officers and diplomats.

That number is the same as a year ago.

But Saint Pet goes surging on.