If there is any hope in this COIN Trick– the illusion that the Admin wants to foist on the public that it is truly committed to COIN in A-stan when it refuses to authorize the necessary forces– it is the Marines themselves.

They are not whiners. They have been told by NSA Jones that they will not get any further reinforcements, so the Marines are busy figuring out how to get the mission done with what they do have. Once the Marines have established a dominating presence in Helmand with the latest operation, enough locals will be inspired to step forward and start providing some local security against a re-infestation by the takhfirs. Similar to what the Marines accomplished in Anbar. Afterall, A-stan is a tribal society (as Steven Pressfield so ably demonstrates). If the Marines can figure out a way to keep enough forces in place to keep the T-ban from overrunning the place, they might be able to convince the tribal leaders to provide local auxiliaries. But the local Marine commanders must be given plenty of money to use at their discretion for local projects for the people, just as they did in Iraq. Give the people security and a stake in their future with tangible improvements to their lives— wells, sewage, roads, schools, clinics. But security comes first.

Preaching to the choir, I know.

If anyone can make it work, the Marines in Helmand can. If they can’t do it, it simply cannot be done.