Leadership

One of the most important contributing factors in the failure of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) is that of leadership. This starts at the very top - the President of Afghanistan all the way down to the lowest level of leadership in government, the army, and the police.

Government Leadership. President Hamid Karzai was corrupt, ineffective, and divisive. The successor government leadership - the National Unity Government (NUG) headed by President Ghani and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah has been extremely ineffective. This is compounded by a Parliament that is obstructionist. The leadership problem extends throughout all the ministries and judicial system down through the provincial and district level.

Senior Military Leadership. The Army's senior officers are, for the most part, inept, incompetent, and ineffective. While there are a few good generals in the Afghan army, many should either be retired, reassigned, or simply fired.

Senior Police Leadership. It would be hard to find a more corrupt national police organization in the world than the Afghan National Police (ANP). This level of corruption starts are the very top within the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and extends all the way down to district level. It is also readily apparent at the many checkpoints established along Afghanistan's roads for the purpose of collecting fees from passing vehicles.

News Reports about Afghan Leadership

February 13, 2016. "Poor Leadership A Major Issue for Afghan Troops: Campbell", Tolo News. In his last press conference before his departure, General John Campbell says that poor leadership is one of the biggest issues facing the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.