I’m flying over western Afghanistan at 35,000 feet, just heading out of the country. We’re passing over the Caspian Sea and soon will be over the Caucuses.  This is a complicated part of the world.

In three busy days in Afghanistan, I focused on Helmand province and the British and U.S. Marine Corps forces. Over the course of lunch with the provincial Governor – a man in his early 60s and a survivor of many challenging events in Afghanistan – I talked with him about the needs of the district.

“First is security,” he said. “It is the mother of all development.” When I pressed him for what comes next on the list, he said, “Education, health, and electricity.” With us at the table was the leader of a British Provincial Reconstruction Team, a group of civilian aid workers focusing on development. He seconded the view, and spoke about the programs they are putting in place in this agrarian part of Afghanistan where sadly the principal crop is opium poppies.

The conversation reinforced my oft-stated view that in the end we will not deliver security in Afghanistan from the barrel of a gun. We’ll need a few guns along the way, no doubt; but the key is getting the right balance of civilian and military work done in concert together. more…

Lt Gen Richard Shirreff CBE - Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps

Since my first blog last month, Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) has now been alerted by SHAPE to be prepared for operations in Afghanistan as the core of the soon to be established ISAF Joint Command in Kabul in January 2011 for one year. The separation of 4 star theatre command from 3 star tactical command is good news and offers the opportunity to do what needs to be done properly at the appropriate level of command. In particular, I see the task of a 3 star tactical commander as binding in national contingents to a single, well thought through operational design through firm leadership while sequencing and concentrating scarce resources in order to tee up subordinate formations for success on the battlefield. As a well-trained, cohesive European led Corps HQ with 15 partner nations and a strong US spine as lead of the Operations Division and with multinationality deep in its DNA,  HQ ARRC is particularly well placed to work within a multi-national operation and drive COMISAF’s concept of operations down to the tactical level with the necessary vigour and energy. However, if this partnership is to be fully exploited it requires the best team in the fight now. more…

In both my U.S. European Command and my NATO “hats,” I spend a great deal of time focusing on the challenges in Afghanistan.

We’ve just seen the Afghan people complete the first round of the Presidential election. President Obama said, “”This was an important step forward in the Afghan people’s efforts to take control of their future, even as violent extremists are trying to stand in their way.” He went on to say, “We look forward to renewing our partnership with the Afghan people as they move ahead under a new government.”

Yet the situation is extremely serious. While I remain convinced that the Coalition, working with the Afghan people, will ultimately win in Afghanistan – the stakes are high – the situation is extremely challenging. The NATO Secretary General recently said, “NATO – by which I mean both sides of the Atlantic — will do its full part, but we can’t do it alone. This has to be an international team effort, military and civilian – with more effort from the Afghans themselves as well….It will not be easy, and the past month has made that bitterly clear. But it can be done. And we will do it. Let there be no doubt about that.”

After two trips to Afghanistan in the last couple of months, many hours of conversation with our superb NATO and U.S. commander there, General Stan McChrystal, discussions with academics, experts, and historians, I agree the situation is indeed serious. But, it is far from hopeless, and what we do over the next year or so will set the course. more…