Slotted! SLOTD stands for ‘strategic lesson of the day’. It highlights interesting current developments which have a strategic lesson element. What should the next SLOTD be on? It’s up to you!
The Helmand Blog reports a statement made by Gov. Gulab Mangal, governor of Helmand Province, Afghanistan (via @MediaOps, whom you really should follow):
Once again, we in Helmand have sad cause to remember the debt we owe to the men and women of the British Army and the people of the United Kingdom. The lives of all your brave soldiers are precious to us and we grieve at your loss. We are grateful beyond words for the sacrifices you make on our behalf. You deliver us from the enemies of peace, and you give us hope that our future will be better from the fear, suffering and oppression of our past.
‘Hearts and minds’ goes both ways - and this second part should not be underestimated. Generating a good rapport with the local population and convincing the uncommitted does not only build the moral links which Boyd emphasised, but also generates positive feedback. This is more important that it seems at first sight.
Insurgency, as Thomas X. Hammes noted, is the only way to defeat significantly larger, better equipped and better trained forces. It does so not by eliminating the opposing force, but by weakening the opposing forces’ resolve to keep the counter-insurgency going. Counter-insurgencies thus benefit from any strategy that strengthens their resolve to continue the fight. Because it is no longer only the resolve of battlefield troops that matters, but also that of their political superiors, statements such as those of Gov. Mangal will become increasingly important to strengthen national support and commitment to counter-insurgency operations.
The SLOTD from this is that ‘hearts and minds’ is a two-way street - as is the whole of COIN/FID. Leaders like Gov. Mangal are increasingly realising that they are stakeholders in these operations and they, too, can play a role in strengthening the resolve of the COIN/FID forces.
