Counter-insurgency is not a thing as much as it is an intentional strategy furthers our goals by specifically targeting the strategy of our enemies. Not enough troops, not enough armor, not enough this and that will never be enough unless our strategy specifically confronts the enemy’s. It’ll be interesting to see how the Marines handle this going forward, but this is good news after a period of time in Afghanistan that hasn’t been so great for us.

However, the potentially bad news is that while the Marines may employ proper strategy, we could potentially see these gains reversed if NATO doesn’t get their act together. It could look like Iraq circa 2005, where the Marines weren’t able to employ the non-kinetic part of the strategy effectively, because it takes time, resources and commitment from the top to sustain what has been won through blood, sweat and tears.

Petraeus, hurry over there and fix it!