Lessons learned COIN expert Dr. Terry Tucker, expands the breadth of knowledge commonly available about US presence in Afghanistan. In this interview with Policy Pace, he details counterinsurgency pitfalls, challenges, ethics, and successes.  Other topics include hard power vs. soft power, rule of law, intricacies of training the Afghan police and military, proliferation of small arms, forming the new government, development  changes in gender based approaches, pacing and inclusion. Former Commander, Tucker also instructs us about the technical military structures that dictate the principles, constraints, mandates, and counterinsurgency techniques.

The information shared today is based on 51 months in Afghanistan training the Afghan police and national guard, interfacing with NGO’s and civilian leaders as well as  two years of employment with Army Lessons Learned as a policy analyst.  Presently, part of Dr. Tucker’s duties include interviewing returning troops and training deploying troops during which he stresses cultural and linguistic understanding, soft power skills, and the transmission of lessons learned.

Interview available at soundcloud.com/policypace/counterinsurgency-in