In Russia what is old is new

During the crimean war of 1854-55 the Russians sunk several ships in an effort to block the combined navies from entering the inlet at Sevastopol.  Here we are 160 years alter and they are doing the same thing.

People watch the Russian anti-submarine ship "Ochakov" which was scuttled by Russian forces at a Black Sea shore outside the town of Myrnyi, western Crimea, Ukraine, March 6, 2014. Russian seamen sank the noncommissioned ship to block the exit for Ukrainian naval vessels located at Donuzlav lake. 

The question is what will Putin do next? 

I think if we are to ask this question we must look to how the last war was won and lost on Crimean soil.

Siege of Sevastopol

The city of Sevastopol suffered an intense siege that lasted for about a month with Russian casualties being about 100 000 dead and a complete destruction of the city.  Here we are this time Sevastopol held by Ukrainian forces and the Russians intent on taking not only the city but the entire peninsula.  

If the people of Crimea vote on succession we should expect some violent reaction from those remaining in Crimea and more likely those of Russian decent falling into a wave of ethnic cleansing.  This is of course the worst case scenario but if cooler heads prevail and allow the Russians to annex Crimea there will be long term consequences to stability not necessarily in Eastern Europe but more likely in the old soviet states such as Uzbekistan and Kazakistan.

Putin is not really playing poker as much as he is brutally trying to recover old Soviet ground.  Russians have a long and well to be honest a depressing history this current war in the Crimea seems to be the same old tune just with a new conductor.

If Russia annexes Crimea the end result is a Putin win in the eyes of the Russians, if he does not annex Crimea then it is still a win as he will be seen to looking tough on the world stage and at home.  Russians love to hate a strong man.  Putin is that man.

What was Afghanistan for? 2001 to 2014

As we come to the end of Canada's longest war in the nations history its fair to ask some hard questions. Questions mothers of the fallen have always asked, amputees now hardly able to walk and those with PTSD and an in ability to complete basic life tasks.......why?

The questions of why war can be as complex as a politicians answer or as simple as a Generals.  A politicians will talk about backing the Afghan government in their bid to ensure the country is not a safe haven for al qeada and that the Taliban and their fascist ways will for ever be on the edge of society and not in charge of it.   Many generals will say something a little less poetic.   Its not about a grid square, or a town, its not about land its about killing as many bad guys as possible. As with all things in life both statements are true.

The strategies of the countries involved can be as confusing as the war itself...

America with its head in the sand chasing Saddam led to a lack of troops just when more was required. The world and NATO did not want to send troops to what they saw as an American endeavour if America would take the first step.  So the Afghan war plodded along.  Americans in their short sightedness continues to "give" Pakistan military and industrial aid to the tune of some $18 billion a year and with much of that money being used to equip, train and hide the Taliban, al qeada and the Haqanni network within Pakistan borders.   Pakistan is no friend and has not been since 1979.

We will look at lessons learned from this war for generations.... the US forces are now better equipped at the basic soldier level than ever before, the same with troops from Sweden to Canada, to the UK, to Dutch and French.   This war has done one amazing thing and that it has shown that European and North American (and some Oceania) countries can quite literally be the best in the world.

Will Afghan collapse to a civil war?   I honestly dont think so and I base that on the fact that the main cities of Afghan do not want this they wish to be part of the real world and wish to bring their expertise and intelligence to that world.   The question is what will Pakistan do? (WWPD?)  This when asked with the simple question, what will india's influence in a ISAF free Afghan be like?  If India chooses to have closer ties with Afghan than this could bring fear into the heart of the Pakistan military and secret service (ISI, those who created the Taliban).  

With fear comes stupid decisions.

As we look at this complex world where Putin has decreed that he is the new worlds "hitler" we have to start looking at the concepts of just war and the questions of why to go to war.  

In the future what wars will be the right and correct ones?

What wars are morally just and correct?

What wars follow international law?

When is right to defend an innocent?

In a society that is finishing its longest war its time we look to the reasons why, the outcomes and even how the war was fought to see who we are as a society.

In 2013 Suicides took everyone by surprise the victims ranged from currently serving members to vets long out of the military.

Please excuse the negligence of not writing as often as I should..... tis the nature of the world.  Today I had a meeting with Peter Stoffer NDP MP. (http://peterstoffer.ndp.ca/)  In the conversation ideas were pushed around back on forth on some of the current vet affairs issues and of course the problems many vets are having accessing services.

I have decided to write this in a briefing note format as it deals with government and even the Legions on how both can work together and solve the problem.

In 2013 the Christmas timed suicides took everyone by surprise ........the victims ranged from currently serving members to vets long out of the military.

31 January 2014

BN on what can be done to help reduce suicide rates of CF members and vets and potentially save the Royal Canadian legion.


1.  Case Study.... Falkland Islands Conflict :

        a. You may ask what does the Falklands have to do with the conversation over suicide rates and prevention in Canada..?  The answer is simple as other countries wars and conflicts all seem to show the same data.  Given time the number of suicdes will almost always over take the number of military members who died in that conflict.   We are not doing these people a favour by continuing to do the status quo.... we need to think of new and better options.
    
         b.  The Commonwealth recently celebrated the 32 nd anniversary of retaking of the falkland Islands by the Uk task force.  The war at times was a difficult struggle and at other times a fight with the very terrain and weather itself.  The UK lost 255 killed and 775 wounded.  The Argentine losses were 649 and 1640 wounded.  

         c.   The shocking thing is that both Argentines and the UK are suffering from massive numbers of suicides that have either passed the number of fallen or are well on the way.  The British soldiers were better trained and equipped and had far superior medical care on the battle field.  The Argentinians had poor supply, clothes that were WW2 surplus and all but useless cold weather gear as well the medical services were well below par.  It does not appear that something like training, equipment and even care for the wounded or fallen make a difference in the number of suicides.  Something else is going on.

"The South Atlantic Medal Association (SAMA82), which represents and helps Falklands veterans, believes that some 264 (255 fallen) veterans had taken their own lives by 2002" 

 "The current Argentine suicide toll is 454 (with 649 fallen in combat), according to an Argentine film about the suicide of a Falklands veteran."

  
2. Case Study United States War on Terror:

            a. The United States and its allies have been fighting one of the longest wars in human history and the strain on the militaries involved, on the soldiers, sailors and air crew and their families is shocking.  The US has  2309 fallen and 17674 wounded in the Afghanistan conflict called Operation Enduring Freedom. In the Iraq war the  US lost 4487 and had 32323 wounded in action.  The medical care is some of the best in the world and even civilians have been attracted to the military hospitals in Afghanistan and Iraq.  They are saving lives that just a few years ago would have been all but impossible.   The mental health programs are available in country and yet suicides and other mental health issues still boil to the surface.

           b.  American soldiers are suffering from exhaustion as the US is involved in its longest war in its history.  Multiple deployments means broken marriages, children that don't recognize mom or dad and the complications of coming home changed in many ways.  The returning soldiers often have a different outlook on the world and their place in it.  Some are aggressive and even filled with hate others are the opposite but most fall in the middle.  

         c.  Many soldiers have gotten into the habit of self medicating.   Where most countries will not allow a person who is showing PTSD symptoms to go on a tour the lack of personnel have made that option unlikely for the US and it send in soldiers who self medicate with mood altering drugs and drugs that often have chemicals and even hormones that effect brain performance and even decision making process.

         d.  In 2010 more soldiers committed suicide than died in combat in that same year, 468 suicides to  462 fallen in Afghanistan.  Since 2001 the US has had 2700 service members kill themselves.  Now these suicides not only cover the Afghan conflict but also Iraq.  

         e.  About one third of the 103,788 veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars seen at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities between September 30, 2001, and September 30, 2005, were diagnosed with mental illness or a psycho-social disorder, such as homelessness and marital problems, including domestic violence. More than half of those diagnosed, 56 percent, were suffering from more than one disorder. The most common combination was post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Fallen Americans given the dignity of perfect drill and escorts taking the fallen to their families.

3. Case Study Canada's Afghan war:

          a.  As with the US Canada's involvement in the Afghan war is now the longest war in Canadian history.  Although we did not deploy with the large numbers of the United States we did deploy into areas that had their own unique challenges.  From Kandahar in 2002 chasing bin Laden, to Kabul in 2003 and building one of the most well organized camps in military history and then back to Kandahar
in an attempt to apply the three D concept (defence, diplomacy and development) of rebuilding. This all ended of course with the death of senior diplomat Glyn Berry and Canada went on the war path.

        b.   The number of fallen soldiers that Canada has suffered is a fairly small list compared to the dangers they faced and the ferocity of the enemy and Canada's response to them.  Canada deployed approximately 35 000 troops although many have done multiple tours. The fallen for Canada in the Afghan conflict is 158 with approximately 1700 wounded in action.  

       c.  Since 2001 there has been 115 suicides with the mission wrapping up at the end of 2014.  Canada is well on the way of surpassing the number of fallen in a far shorter time than say the Falkland War vets..... this is not something to be proud of.

All three soldiers gravely wounded in the suicide bombing attack on senior Diplomat Glyn Berry on January 15, 2006.
Private William Salikin, Cpl Jeff Bailey, MCpl Paul Franklin at Fisher House Landsthul, Germany giving a check we raised for $80 000 in December 2006.

4. Case Study the United Kingdom' Iraq and Afghan wars:

         a.  The UK has followed the US into Iraq and but went into Afghan following the rest of the world after the 9/11 attacks.  Although the US took the lead the UK made many more clear decisions unlike in Iraq and deployed 134,780 soldiers since 2001. 

        b.  In Iraq the UK lost 179 soldiers with  3598 were wounded.   In Afghan the UK has lost  263 fallen with 3408 wounded in action.  The fighting since 2006 has been at the same ferocity as Canada's war in Kandahar and the UK forces have been incredibly lucky and skilled at having the number of fallen at such a low rate.  The Hospital in camp Bastian in Helmand is similar to the Hospital in Kandahar and one can easily say that the number of fallen could probably be doubled if not for the front line care of the medics to the orthopaedic surgeons.

       c.  In 2012 the UK suffered from 50 vets that took their lives and when compared to the number that have died in battle (40 died while in combat in Afghan) the troubling trend reveals itself.  the umber of suicides is hard to track but what I have found suggest 50 UK troops from 2001 to 2012 and approximately 124 vets that have left the service but have since committed suicide for a total of 174.  As you can see the number 174 is almost the same as the fallen from Iraq and if the trend continues the numbers will surpass the fallen in Afghan as well.

Road of Hereos

5. Conclusion:
      Around the world and in almost every conflict from small short wars like the Falklands to long drawn out wars like the Afghan conflict we see a very similar trend. A country is best represented by how it treats its lowest citizens and it could be argued that the wounded soldier represents the highest level of citizenship.   The physical injuries are the easiest to treat and science is making leaps and bounds in bring back people that should be dead and are now living amazing lives some back in service others as ordinary civilians... if I can use the word ordinary.

One can look at each story of the soldiers that have committed suicide and one of the troubling trends is that MOST seem to have reached out in some way to try and get mental health care.  In Canada JPSU are trying to help the serving soldiers navigate the paperwork and even offer them a safe place to be posted to avoid some of the triggers that launch a mental health emergency.  In the UK a chronic shortage in mental health professionals means that the average case load would involve 1 professional for every 3000 soldiers.  The US is in a similar situation  but also with the added stigma that having PTSD in a much less accepting environment than either Canada or the UK.

Fallen Chinook helicopter

In these days of budget woes and cuts to office space the government is looking at high tech solutions.  They feel that as many of the new vets are tech savvy they can easily plow through the paper work and application processes  in a quick and easy manner... thus making room for cuts to offices and staff in locations that some think are remote.

Part of the problem with this idea is that in many ways it is short sided.  As I have shown we must expect the number of suicides and by de-facto the number of mental health issues to rise in the next decades to come.   PTSD can take years to manifest and a person that is fine one day can be broken the next.   As vets we utilize many of the provincial health care professionals and even here the provinces are in budget woes and mental health care is not sexy.  It is not flashy and the results are often baby steps. Many provinces look to cut the very services and care that can save these lives at risk.

So if the provinces are not the answer what can be done to solve the closing of VAC offices around the country at the same time that many soldiers are at risk.  I would offer one to look at another issue that is often forgotten.

Firefighters, EMT's local police, provincial police, RCMP and many others that delve into risky situations also run the risk of having mental health issues.   These are the people that save us, that run to the fires not away, that save grand mothers life so she can she her grandchild born, that place themselves between armed gun man and the wounded civilians..... as much as soldiers have a special contract with the Canadian people...... so do they. 

Tema Conter (www.tema.ca) is a PTSD charity that offer education, programs, peer counselling and even interventions to help those in need...... they serve the military, police, firefighters and EMT's.  Some police unions have trained their personal on interventions and peer counselling even offering the help of a a trained psychologist.  Often though the machoistic character of these organization can have a bad effect and make the person suffering from hiding their feelings and ignoring their triggers.

Families suffer as well as the soldiers come back changed from the sites and smells of war carrying memories that can be PTSD or just simply having them manifest around them.  Secondary PTSD is not something you get from someone who has it.... it comes from your reactions to this new person who has come home... broken limbs, broken head or simply an invisible wound that changes who they are.

Lt Col Harjit Singh of the BCD receiving his Meritorious Service Medal from the  GG David Johnson 

6. Recommendations:


a.  The legions are located all across Canada and the membership and the leadership really want to help with the issue of suicide and VAC office closures.  Legion membership is down as they try and find a place in the 21st century...... this new place may have to involve things like allowing my friend Harjit to enter into the establishment.

b. Police, fire-fighters and EMT union personnel are located in the cities they serve and some are trained to help notice PTSD or other stresses and help with interventions or simply offering help over a cold beer.

c. My own charity the Amputee Coalition of Canada has peer support volunteers that visit amputees in the hospitals and in the communities to talk about rehabilitation and also the changes one may expect with their new life.  Many other charities and peer groups can help with everything from street drug cessation, alcohol addiction, family crisis, PTSD issues and so much more.

d. What I propose is this:

        i.  The Legion begins the process of placing a room in each branch that is designed similar to a psychologists office with a comfy sofa and a comfortable atmosphere.
        ii.  The Legion command structure actively searches and talks to the union reps, VAC officials, peer counsellor and more.
        iii.  This space is offered free of charge to any of the groups I listed to have short meetings but more importantly to talk to their clients.
        iv.  The local Legion then becomes the place for people to come when they need help.
         v. The Legion gets the great benefit of having new blood come and see what the Legion is an what it stands for.
         vi.  The legions that are struggling to keep their doors open and with declining memberships will now have people coming to use the space and the chance for increased membership and cross pollination over the issues and problems and joys that we all face can be shared.
         vii.  The Harper government can now save face as the budget issues of having a fully manned office is now not only available but in fact free.  The only costs are to the VAC personnel attached to that Legion.
         viii.  Programs that help fight PTSD like journal writing and painting can now be given as open classes within the Legion so that others may participate especially those that are too shy to admit they may be suffering as well.  


 The Royal Canadian Legion can enter the 21st century with its head held high and say that they are honestly working to not only help those that have served in the military.... but to all of those that serve.

Firefighters (many ex military),  EMT (many ex military medics), Police (many ex infantry) these people have chosen new paths after their times in our service its now time to help them in their time of need.

Paul Franklin MCpl (ret)
Amputee Coalition of Canada
Tema Conter Memorial Trust


References:

Amputee Coalition of Canada
http://www.amputeecoalitioncanada.org/pg_About.php

Argentina rise in suicides
http://rense.com/general56/fakla.htm

BBC more UK suicides of soldiers
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23259865

British Wounded
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7278645/Thousands-of-British-troops-wounded-in-Afghanistan.html

Canadas History in the Afghan War
http://www.afghanistan.gc.ca/canada-afghanistan/progress-progres/timeline-chrono.aspx?lang=eng

Canadian soldiers suicide over Christmas
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canadian-soldier-s-apparent-suicide-would-be-4th-in-days-1.2450095

Casualties in Iraq (anti war)
http://antiwar.com/casualties/

Casualties OEF

http://icasualties.org/oef/

Combat soldiers and suicide

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/shocking-suicide-toll-on-combat-veterans-1746475.html

DND stats on suicide
http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=suicide-and-suicide-prevention-in-the-canadian-armed-forces/hgq87xvu

Falklands Suicides (UK)
http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f3204

Hidden face of the injured
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2010/11/07/the_hidden_face_of_our_injured_soldiers.html

Huff post (suicides expected to rise in Canada)
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/29/soldier-suicides-canadian-military_n_4362032.html

Iraq Body Count
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/analysis/numbers/warlogs/

IAVA
http://iava.org/issues-and-campaigns/suicide-and-mental-health

Stats
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/government/defence/personnel

Suicide watch (UK)
http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/18/suicide-watch-what-is-being-done-to-stop-our-soldiers-killing-themselves-3479123/

Suicide watch (Canada)
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/07/17/canadian-forces-revises-suicide-statistics/

Tema Conter Memorial trust  (PTSD Charity for police , firefighters, military and EMT)
http://www.tema.ca/

Telegraph more kill themselves than die in battle
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10178403/More-British-soldiers-commit-suicide-than-die-in-battle-figures-suggest.html

UK military suicides
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/15/more-british-soldier-suicides-than-killed-in-battle_n_3600431.html

War casualties in iraq and Afghan
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/war.casualties/

Sept 11..... 12 years on

I am reminded today of a speech once give to british Soldiers on the eve of the war in Iraq in 2003.

I find this as good and arguably as good as the famous Henry the Fifth Speech by William Shakespeare.  the war IN Afghan is almost over for Canadians and will now transfer to our Afghan allies... we hope the lesson we taught them are well learned.

Time will tell

Pentagon on 911

As Lieutenant Colonel (Commanding Officer) of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment of the British Army, Collins gave a rousing eve-of-battle speech to his troops in Kuwait on Wednesday 19 March 2003.

“

We go to Iraq to liberate not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their country. We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Show respect for them. There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send. As for the others I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory. Iraq is steeped in history. It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham. Tread lightly there. You will see things that no man could pay to see and you will have to go a long way to find a more decent, generous and upright people than the Iraqis. You will be embarrassed by their hospitality even though they have nothing. Don't treat them as refugees for they are in their own country. Their children will be poor, in years to come they will know that the light of liberation in their lives was brought by you. If there are casualties of war then remember that when they woke up and got dressed in the morning they did not plan to die this day. Allow them dignity in death. Bury them properly and mark their graves. It is my foremost intention to bring every single one of you out alive but there may be people among us who will not see the end of this campaign. We will put them in their sleeping bags and send them back. There will be no time for sorrow. The enemy should be in no doubt that we are his nemesis and that we are bringing about his rightful destruction. There are many regional commanders who have stains on their souls and they are stoking the fires of hell for Saddam. He and his forces will be destroyed by this coalition for what they have done. As they die they will know their deeds have brought them to this place. Show them no pity. It is a big step to take another human life. It is not to be done lightly. I know of men who have taken life needlessly in other conflicts, I can assure you they live with the Mark of Cain upon them. If someone surrenders to you then remember they have that right in international law and ensure that one day they go home to their family. The ones who wish to fight, well, we aim to please. If you harm the regiment or its history by over-enthusiasm in killing or in cowardice, know it is your family who will suffer. You will be shunned unless your conduct is of the highest for your deeds will follow you down through history. We will bring shame on neither our uniform or our nation. [Regarding the use by Saddam of chemical or biological weapons] It is not a question of if, it's a question of when. We know he has already devolved the decision to lower commanders, and that means he has already taken the decision himself. If we survive the first strike we will survive the attack. As for ourselves, let's bring everyone home and leave Iraq a better place for us having been there. Our business now is north.

Here are two articles that best showcase that the truth is sometimes not from an American perspective and not a Canadian perspective but a Afghan perspective.

    

People who had suffered the most during the war against terror in Afghanistan are undoubtedly the citizens, the villagers who had nothing to do with terrorism. They suffered at the hands of militants who want to take over their country and at the hands of those who are seeking to oust the terrorists. Their country, Afghanistan has been labeled as a terrorist country and the innocent Afghans are paying for it in one way or another.

ANA watching Panjawai

For almost eleven years the people of Afghanistan suffered, hoping that one day the war against terror would come to an end and they’d be able to live their lives peacefully, the way they lived before, but nothing happened. Now, in the past few months things have changed a little bit. Afghans are now standing up against the Taliban insurgents on their own.

The uprising in the district of Panjwai stands out because it is the first in southern Afghanistan which is the spiritual heartland of the Taliban movement. It is a huge accomplishment because it is a region where the militants thrived despite N.A.T.O. and American operations. It is being considered as the most significant uprising against the Taliban.

Reuters

It began in February when the villagers along with police forces began the revolt in this region which is known for its rich vineyards and orchards. The Panjwai Uprising is also a very good example of how the government and its people can stand together in the face of adversity and accomplish great things for the country. According to a report, almost hundred village elders have vowed to keep fighting against the militants on Monday. The Taliban have vowed to return but the villagers are ready to face them when they do.

The Taliban were laying mines in the orchards. Villagers weren’t aware of the location of the mines and would only know when someone got killed. The people are fed up of all the terrorism and deaths. They want to get rid of this mess. So, theyhave joined the government forces to oust these terrorists who have destroyed the peace of their country. These people are a brilliant example of the fact that they have the courage to fight for their country even if they lose their lives doing so.

The Panjwai uprising will forever be remembered as an effort the common man of Afghanistan made to restore peace. It is something that must be respected, appreciated and encouraged in each and every way. They would be the people who will hopefully create a new image of the war-plagued country: a new tolerant and peaceful Afghanistan.

Despite the uprising the Americans still hold to the belief that Canada failed in its mission, the Afghans and of course the Canadians disagree

WASHINGTON—American reluctance to confront Canada over its weak military hold in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar province was among the costlier blunders of the war in Afghanistan, a new book alleges.

 Excerpts published Friday by The Washington Post describe the rising concerns of a team of U.S. military advisers who were stunned in 2009 when an unnamed senior Canadian intelligence official in Kandahar told them, “I have no idea what’s going on inside the city.”
 
The sheer thinness of Canadian boots in Kandahar — only 2,830 soldiers, mostly assigned to headquarters and support roles, with fewer than 600 going on patrol — contrasted against more than 9,000 British soldiers deployed in the less populated and less strategically important neighbouring province of Helmand, Washington Post senior correspondent Rajiv Chandrasekaran writes in Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan.
 
But when the U.S. reassessment team returned to Kabul to learn why more Canadians had not been deployed, they were told by the U.S. Maj.-Gen. Michael Tucker, then the director of operations for all NATO troops, “It is wrong to tell a (Canadian) commander, from this level, to put troops in Kandahar city.”
 
Sitting next to Tucker in that Kabul meeting was Andrew Exum, an influential counterinsurgency strategist and former Army Ranger platoon leader, battle-hardened by earlier deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
 
Exum’s notes from that Kabul encounter are excoriating. “This guy is a jackass,” Exum wrote of Tucker’s hesitance to direct the Canadians. “Kandahar — not Helmand — is the single point of failure in Afghanistan.”
 
When Exum and his reassessment team investigated further, the book alleges, they were told by U.S. Army Brig.-Gen. John “Mick” Nicholson, that the Americans were reluctant to ruffle feathers in Ottawa.
 
“(Nicholson) emphasized that the Kandahar mission was Canada’s largest overseas deployment since the Korean War. Military leaders in Ottawa were reluctant to ask for more help — some were convinced that security in Kandahar was improving, others didn’t want to risk the embarrassment,” writes Chandrasekaran.

On patrol

“To Exum and others on the team, however, it seemed that U.S. commanders thought that managing the NATO alliance was more important than winning the war.”
 
Exum, a fellow with the Washington-based Center for a New American Security, was brought on as part of a group of outside advisers convened by Gen. Stanley McChrystal when he was appointed the top commander in Afghanistan in 2009.
 
But the Americans had their own reasons for wanting to avoid Kandahar at the outset of the Obama administration, Chandrasekaran writes in Little America, which is based on more than 70 interviews with U.S. government and military officials directly involved in Afghan war policy. 

Foremost among them was the Pentagon’s own struggles in locating senior troop commanders willing to dispatch thousands of additional forces to Afghanistan after so many years of rolling deployment to the region.
 
One of the few with a “zeal for Afghanistan” was Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway. But Conway “drove a hard bargain” with his Pentagon counterparts, insisting that any fresh Marine deployment must involve “a contiguous area” where the U.S. Marines would wield total control, including support from Marine helicopters and supply convoys.
 
“These stipulations effectively excluded Kandahar,” writes Chandrasekaran. “The geography of the province, and the Canadians’ desire to hold on to the key districts around Kandahar city, made it nearly impossible to carve out a Marine-only area there.
 
“Helmand was the next best option, even if it was less vital.”
 
By that time, the Canadian military had already asked for help in Kandahar province, although the number of reinforcements requested was still small compared to the presence in Helmand province.

 
In January 2008, an independent panel led by former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley issued a report recommending that Canada extend its mission in Afghanistan beyond February 2009, on the condition that NATO deploy a battle group of about 1,000 additional soldiers to back up Canadian troops in Kandahar.
 
The report also called on the Canadian government to provide troops with surveillance drones and large helicopters as another condition for extending the mission.
 
Canada managed to secure those extra troops – and thereby meets its conditions for extending the mission to 2011 – when the United States committed to sending 1,000 soldiers to the southern province after France decided to join the war efforts.
 
The Americans took control of Kandahar City in 2010 following a decision by U.S. President Barack Obama to flood southern Afghanistan with troops.
 
Canadians troops were left in charge of Panjawai, Dand and Daman districts until Canada ended its combat mission there in July 2011.
 

Panjawai

A spokesman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay responded to the allegations by praising the work of Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
 
“Canada has played a leadership role in the UN-mandated, NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, both through the previous combat mission in Kandahar and our current training mission centred in Kabul. Working alongside our international partners, our Canadian Forces personnel have made tangible strides to improve the lives of the Afghan people, and have made great progress in helping them to increase their nation’s safety and security,” MacKay’s press secretary, Joshua Zanin, wrote in an emailed statement on Friday.
 
With files from Joanna Smith
Foremost among them was the Pentagon’s own struggles in locating senior troop commanders willing to dispatch thousands of additional forces to Afghanistan after so many years of rolling deployment to the region.
 
One of the few with a “zeal for Afghanistan” was Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway. But Conway “drove a hard bargain” with his Pentagon counterparts, insisting that any fresh Marine deployment must involve “a contiguous area” where the U.S. Marines would wield total control, including support from Marine helicopters and supply convoys.
 
“These stipulations effectively excluded Kandahar,” writes Chandrasekaran. “The geography of the province, and the Canadians’ desire to hold on to the key districts around Kandahar city, made it nearly impossible to carve out a Marine-only area there.
 
“Helmand was the next best option, even if it was less vital.”
 
By that time, the Canadian military had already asked for help in Kandahar province, although the number of reinforcements requested was still small compared to the presence in Helmand province.
 
In January 2008, an independent panel led by former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley issued a report recommending that Canada extend its mission in Afghanistan beyond February 2009, on the condition that NATO deploy a battle group of about 1,000 additional soldiers to back up Canadian troops in Kandahar.
 
The report also called on the Canadian government to provide troops with surveillance drones and large helicopters as another condition for extending the mission.
 
Canada managed to secure those extra troops – and thereby meets its conditions for extending the mission to 2011 – when the United States committed to sending 1,000 soldiers to the southern province after France decided to join the war efforts.
 
The Americans took control of Kandahar City in 2010 following a decision by U.S. President Barack Obama to flood southern Afghanistan with troops.
 
Canadians troops were left in charge of Panjawai, Dand and Daman districts until Canada ended its combat mission there in July 2011.

Panjawai Road

 
A spokesman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay responded to the allegations by praising the work of Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
 
“Canada has played a leadership role in the UN-mandated, NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, both through the previous combat mission in Kandahar and our current training mission centred in Kabul. Working alongside our international partners, our Canadian Forces personnel have made tangible strides to improve the lives of the Afghan people, and have made great progress in helping them to increase their nation’s safety and security,” MacKay’s press secretary, Joshua Zanin, wrote in an emailed statement on Friday.
 
With files from Joanna Smith