Afghan revolving door: 5 US generals, 5 years

[unhappycamper]

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/20/afghan-revolving-door-5-us-generals-5-years/


Afghan revolving door: 5 US generals, 5 years
By PATRICK QUINN and LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press
11:41 a.m., Nov. 20, 2012

KABUL, Afghanistan — For former CIA director David Petraeus, it was a one-year stint as top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. His replacement is scheduled to leave next year after 18 months in the job.

And now the sex scandal that draws them together - Petraeus' career toppled and Marine Gen. John Allen's possibly on hold - also has placed greater attention to the quick turnover of American battlefield chiefs in the 11-year war.

Nearly two dozen generals have commanded troops from the United States and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, since the American invasion in late 2001 - with five U.S. generals running both commands in the past five years alone.

There is no firm evidence the Pentagon's revolving door in Afghanistan has posed any significant obstacles for U.S. troops, but some military analysts suggest the frequent changes at the top create potential breaks in continuity in the critical cooperation with the Afghan political leadership and security officials.

[cloudbase]

1. Ticket punching. n/t

[unhappycamper]

2. yup. n/t

[HereSince1628]

3. Yes, pretty soon this is going to be over, gotta get their command experience or miss out...

although missing out often means big salaries in second careers in the defense industry.