The Foreign Service Journal, November 2012

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2012 55 ADAPTABILITY ANDMOBILITY: AN AFGHANISTAN PRT FIELD REPORT With U.S. troops departing Afghanistan, a civilian drawdown is a foregone conclusion. Now is the right time to tear down processes and structures that do not work. BY TED BURKHALTER T housands of dedicated Americans, civilian and military alike, have risked a great deal over the past decade in an effort to find a path to a sustainable Afghan peace. We have run through countless ideas and templates, and have experienced gratifying successes and miserable failures. Though we don’t often admit it, blind luck has more than once played a huge role. But as in any endeavor, the chances of success vastly increase with proper foresight, planning, commu- Brigadier General Austin Miller (Commander, CFSOCC-A) arrives in Gizab to inspect the first ALP detachment to be approved by the Government of Afghanistan. Sept. 22, 2010. Ted Burkhalter