McChrystal in his own words

I've been harping for years on various people who collect a paycheque from the Canadian taxpayer. I've been telling them that while they absolutely need to engage the mainstream media, and do it far better than they have in the past, they also need to find ways to get their message out unfiltered.

Well, here's a great example of such an effort. It's U.S. General Stanley McChrystal addressing ISAF HQ. Each segment runs just under ten minutes:

Part 1


Part 2


Some interesting points I gleaned from McChrystal's presentation:

• The four things that have changed for the Afghan mission - clarity, capability, commitment, and confidence.


• "Developing the capability of the ANSF is the most important thing we do in the future."


• "It's not the number of people you kill, it's the number of people you convince."


• "This is not a war for profit, it's not a war for conquest, and it's not a war for glory. It's a war to give people a chance."


• While the confidence of the allied military forces in Afghanistan is essential for success, at the end of the day, it's the confidence of the Afghan people that matters most: confidence to plant wheat instead of poppies, confidence to go and vote, confidence to travel the roads, confidence to send a child to school.

These are all great points. Many of them we've heard before, but it's always nice to hear the commander reiterate them in such plain language.

I'd quibble with McChrystal on one issue, however: while we are very interested in "giving the Afghans a chance," that's not why we're over there. We're over there to improve our own security. Helping Afghans get their country functioning is the best way to accomplish that aim, and it dovetails nicely with our morals and values. Clarity on that particular issue is important, because many arguments against the mission hinge upon a flawed understanding of that distinction. Rebuilding Afghanistan is a means, not an end.

All in all, however, this was a good presentation. More than that, I hope it serves as an example to those in the service of the Canadian people - civilians and military alike - of how they could better communicate directly with the Canadian people.

Pitter, patter.