One Tribe at a Time: The Paper that Changed the War in Afghanistan

Gant is a true American Hero for his accomplishments on and off the battlefield . Sadly our flawed political and military leadership did what the enemy could not do - destroy his accomplishments and his right to an honored place among warriors.One Tribe At A Time is Gant's prescription for working with the realities of Afghanistan to protect and advance both American and Afghan interests. Gant recognized that we needed to work with Afghanistan's tribal culture which with the Afghan topography had made it the graveyard of great armies for 2,000 years, including that of the Russians.Gant recognized that we needed to make the Afghan tribal culture a part of our winning strategy , not an impediment. This book is his paper on the subject, written after his first tour. It was embraced and adopted by our senior special forces leadership. When he returned to Afghanistan he found he was fighting not only the Taliban but also the Army bureaucracy where special forces are often seen as the enemy.The book is not an adventure story but rather the presentation of the strategy and the reasoning supporting it.The story is told in American SpartanWhat I think we learned over the last 8 years was that Obama did not want a strong, effective military and did not want to prevail in Afghanistan....... that's a pretty strong indictment of the former President but his actions in curtailing the forces, implementing rules of engagement which tripled the American casualty rate, announcing our withdrawl and then releasing 5 top Taliban military leaders on the eve of Afghan elections sent a clear signal.

Review - One Tribe at a Time by Jim Gant"One Tribe at a Time" (published October 2009) is an article by Special Forces Major Jim Gant expressing his opinion that the only way to "win" the "war" in Afghanistan is to work directly with the individual tribes. Jim Gant does not feel that working with the national level or even regional level governments will win us the war. Gant had the opportunity to work closely and intimately with one of the Pushtan Tribes (al la Lawrence of Arabia type work) and found the experience rewarding and fruitful. Gant has looked at the history of Afghanistan and found that many experts claim the only lasting power sources in Afghanistan are the tribes. This article is his opinion that we must align ourselves with the individual tribes to gain their confidence and good will to defeat the Taliban.The bibliography is impressive. The writing is clear and well done. The intext references to such as General Petreaus (author of a brilliant book on counter insurgency) and Andrew Exum (former Army Ranger Captain with Afghan combat experience) are several and supportive. See the "Introduction" by Steven Pressfield for more. The message that insurrections are won over time by working with the local peoples is well established, but frequently for various reasons not followed in modern warfare. This article is an articulate call to use that philosophy in Afghanistan.

MAJ Grant definitely gets what strategy will work in the Afghan environment. I just wish this was more widely adopted. I have run into the same results albeit in a slightly different environment. My small team worked primarily with Afghan military but found the same principles were effective. This short read was recommended by a retired Team mate and is a recommended approach. I am not sure if conventional forces can fully adopt/adapt but I am hopeful and know of many that have the right mindset. It is just unfortunate that we are winding down our presence without fully seeing the operation to its completion with the desired effect. Oh well, politicians don't seem to always be able to see the forest for the trees. It is just a leadership issue in the end. I'll stay optimistic. NOTE: This review concerns this paper only and not any of the recently reported behaviors of MAJ Grant, of which in my opinion have no bearing on this paper.

As a proposal for a change in approach to the war in Afghanistan, this reads like a somewhat repetitive business proposition and when I read it this is what I thought it was. But afterwards, when I read the Introduction by Steve Pressfield and realized that this proposition was accepted and attempted to be implemented, reaching failure only because of larger political issues, I realized that this paper is a key historical document whose place in time explains a lot about what the US military knew and what it could do in Afghanistan. Reading this is like finding a copy of a pamphlet on how to avoid icebergs in the pocket of the captain of the Titannic after the ship went down.

I went through the Special Forces course with Jim and knew, (hell, the whole group knew) there was something special aboout him. Jim always got it right the first time. He just "Got it". I wish the commanders who sacrificed so many of our warriors over there would have read this and took it to heart. We could have accomplished so much more meaningful and successful objectives over there. As usual the brass only care about their own rising star and not actual mission success. Jim's observations and strategies remind me a lot of Sun Tzu's "Art Of War". The brass should have paid more attention to that book as well, we would have a lot more people alive.Jim's book is a must read, not just to get the perspective of the Afghan tribal mentalitiy, but for our own intra-social abilities and communications.It's a great book written by a great warrior and leader. Thanks Jim. De Oppresso Liber!

I’m a practitioner-scholar and veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, amongst others. The war in Afghanistan was both politically and militarily mismanaged. The 2021 Withdrawal was not only a foreign policy disaster of epic proportions but a total betrayal of our Afghan allies. I firmly believe that the Withdrawal emboldened the West’s adversaries. It led to the invasion of Ukraine and current global instability. Moreover, the Withdrawal has only contributed to deteriorating regional security in South Asia and a burgeoningTaliban (TTP) led insurgency in Pakistan. Yet, there was an alternative to capitulation and Withdrawal. Jim Gant’s Tribal Engagement Strategy. I, for one, would have picked up an AK47 with 300 rounds and followed him. But one thing I do know is that we have not heard the last from Afghanistan. This is a must read for counterinsurgency scholars especially. Without Ground Truth then theory on its own is worthless.

O autor aborda de maneira simples e objetiva as técnicas, táticas e procedimentos para a abordagem de uma tribo a fim de ganhar seus corações e mentes

the author tells it like it is, it is circumstanced and detailed. even if not all of his statements are 100% error proof, nonetheless the ideas are there, and ... he could be right. after all, the current model is not working, so maybe a different model could. anyway, as he says, he is still ready to put his money where his mouth is, which is a good thing. I liked the book and the way it is written.

Nothing like as good as The American Spartan aboutthe same man

Excellent read