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America taps into expertise of a leader we put out to grass
Robert Fox, Defence Correspondent18 Sep 2009
As the world awaits the new allied strategy for Afghanistan, two British generals have sounded a surprising, if suitably cautious, note of optimism about the prospects for success.
Lieutenant General Sir Graeme Lamb, who distinguished himself with Special Forces, says that though the task in Afghanistan "is hard, it is not hopeless".
"I am absolutely convinced that we can do this," he told the BBC from his office in Kabul.
Curiously, he has been brought into Afghanistan by the two senior American commanders, Generals David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal, who have put him in charge of "reintegration".
He will try to talk moderate Taliban leaders, village elders and tribal chiefs into backing the peace efforts of the Kabul government and allies to bring some security to the country.
Gen Lamb is credited by Gen Petraeus with talking round important tribal chiefs in the Sunni communities in Iraq to quell the insurgency there.
Given his outstanding record in dealing with guerrilla campaigns, it is surprising that the British Army and the MoD allowed him to retire this summer - only for him to be snapped up by the US Army.
There appears to be something dysfunctional in Whitehall when one of our ablest generals is allowed to go to the Americans like a lend-lease destroyer in the Second World War -and only now has it been decided that Afghanistan is a war and should be the Main Effort of our forces.
It is time for the Sir Humphreys as well as the politicians to come out from behind the sofa in Whitehall.
They have to put the British national effort in Afghanistan on a proper war footing, including a British national commander with a fully-fledged command structure on the spot, and a joined-up campaign plan integrated with the American and International Security and Assistance Force effort.
The British forces, their families, the Afghan people, and British voters and taxpayers deserve no less.
Reader views (1)
If this is a key national objective as Gordon Brown is always saying, then there should be a War Cabinet with Mr Brown in the chair to run it; making sure that all ministries are giving it the priority it needs. This is a gross derelection of his duty as leader of the government and he is not doing this so that he can disassociate himself from it if it goes wrong. Disgraceful.
- Peter Haldane, London, 18/09/2009 14:15
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