Taking the Long View Towards the Long War

Senior American military and civilian leaders agree that military action alone will not produce victory in Iraq, Afghanistan, or the broader Global War on Terror (GWOT). Despite this acknowledgement and calls by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to increase funding for the State Department and other civilian agencies; interagency capacity to mentor in the areas of governance, justice, economic development, reconstruction, and security sector reform remains inadequate. Military support for these missions in non-permissive environments is essential. In a recent interview in Foreign Policy magazine, General David Petraeus, reiterated his assessment that Afghanistan will be the longest campaign of the long war. Last fall the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and members of their staffs testified before the House Armed Services Committee that the war is a long one, that we need more Provincial Reconstruction Teams, (PRTs) that better language and cultural skills are crucial, and something we need to get better at.