The Longest War in US History
The Afghan war has gained a fresh and dubious distinction: it is the longest war in US history, surpassing the conflict in Vietnam. 103 months passed between passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the withdrawal of the last American combat forces from Vietnam. As of today, the Afghan war has lasted 104 months.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/afghan-war-now-longest-war-us-history/story?id=10849303
Lost war
Lieutenant-General Boris Gromov, the last commander of the 40th Soviet Army in Afghanistan, stated in a 1986 memo: "After seven years in Afghanistan there is not one square kilometre left untouched by the boot of a Soviet soldier. But as soon as they leave the place, the enemy returns and restores it all the way it used to be. We have lost this war." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6971683.ece?print=yesThe Long War
Historically, the default strategy for wars that lack a plausible victory narrative is attrition. When you don’t know how to win, you try to outlast your opponent, hoping he’ll run out of troops, money and will before you do. Think World War I, but also Vietnam. The revival of the counterinsurgency doctrine, celebrated as evidence of enlightened military practice, commits America to a postmodern version of attrition. Americans today do not have a clue when, where or how their war will end. The Long War, as the Pentagon aptly calls it, has no coherent narrative. When it comes to defining victory, U.S. political and military leaders are flying blind. How does this end? The verdict is already written: The Long War ends not in victory but in exhaustion and insolvency, when the United States runs out of troops and out of money.
http://enduringamerica.com/2010/01/02/afghanistan-and-the-long-war-obama-tell-me-how-this-ends/
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