This was bound to happen, as most American wars have experienced their share of mid to high level defections. This time around, State loses a talented FSO who was serving in one of the toughest regions in Afghanistan.
Look, none of our senior military leaders have tried to hide the fact that war is indeed fueling the insurgency. That’s why General McChrystal is pursuing an aggressive, proven COIN strategy. However, resigning because you think a Western occupation is “making matters worse” doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Nothing will “fuel the insurgency” more than handing the Taliban a win. It’s worth noting that Hoh was serving in the Zabul region, which is Taliban owned and has a population that’s geographically dispersed. That makes the classic population-centric COIN strategy far more difficult to execute. Afghanistan has always been a tough, unforgiving place to fight. But it’s a war that we must win. If Hoh thinks that our presence is fueling the regional insurgency, imagine what a devastating loss would do to fuel global extremists. We saw international terrorism skyrocket when we were chased from a little sliver of Somali coastline, it’s chilling to think of the decade after a defeat in Afghanistan. Aside: Though State is down one Foreign Service Officer, Army recruitment numbers are soaring.
