What lessons have been drawn from the performance of the U.S. military in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars?

Analysis of the US Military’s Performance Outcome in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars Author’s Name The Institutional Affiliation Course Number and Name Instructor Name Assignment Due Date Introduction The US military presence in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars revolves around several factors, including the cost, workforce, and geopolitical delineation. Both of these significant wars ended in leaving nothing in the hands of the USA, but they took away many precious lives and financial resources from both countries (Connah, 2020). The USA’s military involvement in two major wars in Afghanistan and Iraq kindle a plethora of mixed views from different analysts, historians, and politicians. These mixed views include analysis and debates covering the success/failure ratio and the lessons that may have been learned from the US military’s performance in both countries. The conflicts that arose after the US military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq were of a complex and protracted nature and, thereby, paved the way for analyzing the traditional and latest warfare approaches used by the US military. A comprehensive and exhaustive analysis of the US military performance in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars speaks primarily of strategic challenge, geopolitical disturbance, and on-spot decision-making at the broader level (Jimenezla et al., 2021). Before initiating combat, specific lessons are carved out of these wars, including fact-based examination. Instead, the combater will face severe repercussions, and the US military force needs to revisit its attacking and analytical skills by enhancing its visions and shaping its defense priorities. Lessons Drawn from US Military Performance in Afghanistan War The war in Afghanistan remained active for almost 20 years and is considered to be one of the longest and deadliest wars in global history. Several vital takeaways emerge from the US military’s performance analysis in the Afghanistan wars, including scholarly and official government documents. The suppression and emergence of great power are always followed by the outbreak of offensive/defensive competition, which asks for the reorientation of the geopolitical frame at the national and international levels. Another lesson learned from the crucial war in Afghanistan and the associated US military performance is the absence of geopolitical reorientation (Pew Research, 2024). The US needed to rebalance its strategic aim in countering the resurgences, but at the same time, it had to be handling the state and non-state actors vigilantly. Strategic coordination and smooth communication at the national and international levels are direly needed to win a conflict (Bacevich, 2017). Transparency and clarity in communication between military personnel can ensure success in any defense operation, but they were absent during the US military war in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan war and the proposed failed approach of the US military highlight the importance of a smooth civil-military relationship. Since the people of America were not in favor of any wars after bearing millions and billions of dollars in cost, so they were not on good terms with their forces and actions (Congress report). There must be close coordination between the civil policymakers, local people, and military personnel to launch defense-related operations successfully. Still, in the case of the Afghanistan war, there was no such smooth civil-military relationship. A report suggests the least confidence of US citizens in their government on the Afghan war (StatistaResearch, 2021). A 2012 survey was conducted in different states of America to assess the public perception of US military interventions in Afghanistan. Among almost 1000 participants, only 27% stated that the US military intervention in Afghanistan was prosperous and fair, but 59% claimed this was a failure for the US. This perception may be treated in a manner that the military techniques used by the US military were not based on humanitarianism and technological fairness. The people of America were not confident about their government’s decision to wage wars in Afghanistan since these interventions were draining the local resources of America itself. The US troops were massively killed, and the number of Afghan security forces was even doubled. One of the deadliest and allegedly failed US wars in Afghanistan, i-e. “Operation Endure Freedom” cost US taxpayers around $2 trillion. From 2001 to 2019, this single battle’s total cost exceeded $975 billion (McCarthy, 2020). Thus, a prime lesson emerges from this chapter: calculating the war costs before initiating it. Lessons Drawn from US Military Performance in Iraq War Iraq war was waged by the US forces in 2003 to destroy Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and this war took several precious years for both countries, leav...