Major Gen. Richard Mills is in demand since relinquishing command of the I Marine Expeditionary Force in Afghanistan last month. The first commander of the Regional Command-Southwest Region (RC-SW), Major General Mills was successful in taking one of the most volatile regions (the Helmand province) to a relatively peaceful one in one year.  Next week, he will make several speaking engagements in Washington, including one co-hosted by the Marine Corps Association and Institute for the Study of War (ISW), at the Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater on May 2 at 3:30 p.m.

ISW, a relative newcomer to the D.C. think tank landscape, has issued a series of reports on the state of the counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan. In their most recent study released in January, author Jeffrey Dressler claims that both coalition and Afghanistan forces have made significant progress in “clearing and holding” critical districts and, in some areas, they have even begun the “build” phase of reconstruction and development. This is due in large part to the fact that the Helmand province has been the first province where comprehensive, population-centric counterinsurgency operations have been conducted with a force constituted to do so – with approximately 4,000 Marines deployed to the region since July 2009. 

The report cites successes keeping the local populations secure, increasing the capabilities of the Afghan  National Security Forces (ANSF), improving the counternarcotics efforts (through interdiction), strengthening local governments and even improving living conditions (according to polls conducted by the Washington Post, ABC and BBC).  Many credit the leadership of Major General Mills with shifting the momentum from the insurgency to the coalition and ANSF.

Monday’s sit-down discussion with ISW founder Dr. Kimberly Kagan could prove to be a rare chance to hear firsthand (in a dialog format) from the general who was in the vanguard of COIN implementation in Afghanistan.  He will discuss his approach to counterinsurgency and the challenges that remain ahead for ISAF.  To attend, RSVP here.

Posted by The Bunny in Uncategorized | read comments (1)
Tags: ANSF, COIN, counterinsurgency, Helmand Province, Major General Richard Mills, Navy Memorial

GEN Petraeus, COL McMaster (selected for BGEN), Dr. Monsoor, Nathaniel Fick, and LTC Nagl (Ret) will speaking at “Counterinsurgency Leadership in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Beyond” hosted by Marine Corps University on September 23 at the National Press Club in DC. Registration is free and open to the public.

Moreover, Tom Ricks will speaking on “Officer Development in the US Military.” Perhaps this would be the perfect opportunity to stage a protest of his column bashing the service academies? It’s been awhile since I last ran from security….

Thanks to SWJ for pointing this event out!

Posted by jwithington in Army, Marine Corps | read comments (1)
Tags: counterinsurgency, event