Developing Afghanistan’s security forces has been a key policy priority for the U.S. since 2002. After nearly 16 years of effort, the U.S. has directly spent more than $70 billion to train, equip, and support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, the strength and effectiveness of which is pivotal to the success of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. However, these forces remain unable to independently defend against internal and external threats and it appears they will depend on continued assistance from the U.S. and other coalition countries for many years.
Please join us for a timely and important discussion with John F. Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), as he unveils critical lessons from this effort with the release of a new report, Reconstructing the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan.