Thread by @NickForVA

Afghanistan Lesson 1: An orderly military withdrawal can turn into an unorganized retreat very quickly when you have diminished your military options without achieving certain key benchmarks.

Afghanistan Lesson 2: Do not commit US service members to war unless Congress is willing to declare it. We should expect our elected representatives to display an ounce of the courage they expect out of those they will send to fight.

Afghanistan Lesson 3: The military should be given clear and attainable objectives. Tactics and strategy can change, but objectives should always remain clear and within the capabilities of the forces we send.

Afghanistan Lesson 4: “Creating a stable Government” is far more dependent upon the culture, history, and geography of an area and people than it is US military or economic power.

Afghanistan Lesson 5: Demanding that a culture adopt a particular form of government in the midst of conflict when there is no historical or cultural point of reference for such a political arrangement can be counterproductive.

Afghanistan Lesson 6: If a military, no matter how strong on paper, is entirely dependent on US resources for logistical and tactical support, then it will most likely disintegrate as soon as that support is gone.

Afghanistan Lesson 7: If an economy is entirely dependent upon the US military and spending power for the stability of its markets and courts system, it will cease to exist in any meaningful way once that power has been removed.

Afghanistan Lesson 8: Favorable conditions for nation-building include a strong national identity, common culture, common objectives, and in many cases, a common threat. None of these things existed in sufficient form in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Lesson 9: Our initial invasion had a very small yet effective US footprint. Some conflicts, especially civil wars, are best executed through the effective support of an indigenous ally rather than the complete takeover of the war effort.

Afghanistan Lesson 10: Honor is not a quaint notion in the realm of international politics. For those of us who serve at the tip of the spear, honor is the currency we trade in among ourselves, our allies, and sometimes even our enemies.