The Khyber Pass located near Peshawar, PakistanPhoto by: Dr Mansoor Bokhary (Wikimedia)
How Many Troops Can We Logistically Support in Afghanistan? -- Captain's Journal
Glenn Reynolds links the Small Wars Journal on a potential surge in Afghanistan, and Michael Yon weighed in saying that in his opinion the proposed 25-40K troops won’t be enough. Then Glenn asks a salient and insightful question: How many troops can we support, logistically, in Afghanistan? Glenn has been carefully examining the reports.
The Captain’s Journal has a right to weigh in on this subject because first of all, we have been advocating a surge for Afghanistan for at least one year, manned partly by an expeditious withdrawal of Marines from the Anbar Province as recommended by Commandant Conway (we are, after all, a Marine blog). Second, we make very few forecasts, but when we do, we have good track record of accuracy. When Army intelligence was claiming that there wouldn’t be a spring offensive in Afghanistan, we said that there would be a two-front Taliban offensive, one by the Tehrik-i-Taliban in Pakistan and the other in Afghanistan by the followers of Mullah Omar.
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My Comment: Kinetic operations against the Taliban, coupled with alternative supply routes .... these are the two ingredients that will assist NATO significantly in operations and logistical support for their soldiers. In short (from my simple understanding) .... a combination of factors and resources must be committed together in order for an increase in troop strength to be effective. More troops per se will not necessarily succeed.
For a better understanding, read the entire post from the Captain's Journal for a better understanding.